f LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.; 

# 'trt^'^'^' — * 

* UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. ^ 



X 



THE 



WAY OF PEACE. 



BT 



HENRY A. feoWLAND, 



AUTHOR OF A WORK " ON THE COMMON MAXIMS OF 

INFIDELITY," " THE PATH OF LIFE," AND 

"light in a dark ALLEY." 



** Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee ." 

I&AUH, xxvi.3. 

n 

PYRiQHT ,.., 



NEW YORK: 
PUBLISHED BT M. W. DODD, 

Cornar of Spruce St. and City Hall Square . 

1853. 




Jl. ^^/ y^. ^U< / vf/A, 







\ 



Entered, according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1853, 

BY M. W. DODD, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the 

Southern District of New York. 



The LifoRARV 
OF CoNr.wggg 



WASHINGTON 



B. O. JENKINS, PRINTER AND STKRKOTYPKR, 
114 NASSAU STKBKT, N. Y. 



MRS. JANE, 

WIDOW OF THE LATE 

IS SAC HE YE R , 

OP THB CITY OF NEW YORK, 

WHOSE RICH EXPERIENCE OF DIVINE GRACE GIVES ITS 

FULL ATTESTATION TO THE EXCELLENCE OF 

THAT RELIGION 

WHOSE FRUIT IS PEACE, 

THIS VOLUME 

IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED, 

BY 

THE AUTHOR. 



PREFATORY. 



This work is designed for those who long for peace, 
and hope that they have found it, and have begun to walk 
in its pleasant way. " The Path of Life'* is designed to 
direct the wandering and lost to Christ ; " The Way of 
Peace," to enable one who thinks that he has found ac- 
ceptance with the Saviour, to satisfy himself on this point, 
by means of suitable evidence ; and also to show how he may 
preserve his religious affections in their purity and 
strength, and continue ever to Hve in peace with God, and 
in the enjoyment of his love. Many of the works de- 
signed for the use of Christians, in this day, are not 
sufficiently experimental and practical, to prove the most 
satisfactory. There is a superficial style of writing 
which is much in vogue. The press groans under a vast 
amount of light reading on religious subjects, whose ten- 
dency is to please, but not to induce the most rigid in- 
quiry into the proper grounds of religious hope. And 
yet there never was a time when there was more need 
that spiritual religion, in its fulness and power, should be 
set in array against formaUsm. 



VI PREFATORY. 

It is a common opinion that a book, to be made attract- 
ive, must be embellished. This occasions a straining after 
effect which is so apparent as to become distasteful to a 
cultivated mind. A single grain of wheat is often con- 
tained in a bushel of chaff. Illustrations, rather than the 
thing illustrated, are invested with such prominence as 
to command the chief attention. It seems to be forgot- 
ten that truth, if set forth in its simplicity and beauty, 
will shine through its own native lustre ; and that, if 
properly set, it will sparkle hke a diamond of the first 
water, and become attractive to all who love G-od. And 
yet, as Archbishop Leighton remarks, '' it requires much 
learning to make these things plain." But learning can- 
not be more usefully employed than in explaining and 
enforcing religious truth. In doing it, language and the 
arrangements of thought should assume the utmost sim- 
pUcity. Light should stream from an author's pen. 
Truth, divested of its obscurities, should be as lucid as a 
sunbeam. It should make its own impression. It needs 
no illumination, but will shine of itself. It is with these 
views that I have written. Not that I feel myself com- 
petent to reach the standard here set up, but I have 
striven to do so. The direction of my aim is good, 
even if my hand is too unsteady to hit the mark. 

I wrote, because this seemed to be a neglected field. 
It was not out of ambition to become an author, but to 
do good. There were thoughts within which would not 
be repressed, but clamored for egress at the door till they 



PREFATORY. VU 

pressed it open, and rushed forth into the world. I hope 
that I have been enabled to clothe them decently, so that 
I may reputably acknowledge their paternity ; though it 
has cost me much labor, and severe toil. But the labor 
has been pleasant, and the toil, like the yoke of Christ, 
easy to be borne. 

Kind words have encouraged me, and testimonies from 
distant strangers that some, whom I shall never behold in 
the flesh, have found Christ through the instrumentality 
of my pen. And if God shall thus be glorified, and mercy 
triumphant, it is enough. It affords me greater joy, than 
would a mine of gold. There is no pleasure equal to that 
which springs from the consciousness of being useful, and 
of being permitted to guide wandering and lost men into 
the way of peace. 

Ebnesdale^ Pa., April 6, 1853. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

TO THOSE WHO LONG FOR PEACE, . . . . 13 

CHAPTER II. 

THE NATURE OF TRUE PEACE, 20 

CHAPTER III. 

NO ELEMENT OF PEACE DISCOVERABLE IN THE UNRE- 
NEWED MIND, 28 

CHAPTER lY. 

HOW ONE, OPPRESSED WITH A SENSE OF HIS SINFUL- 
NESS, COMES INTO A STATE OF PEACE, ... 33 

CHAPTER Y. 

A PEACEFUL MIND DISTINGUISHED BY CERTAIN CHAR- 
ACTERISTICS, 39 

CHAPTER YI. 

SUPREME DELIGHT IN GOD, THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENT 

OF TRUE RELIGION, . . . . . 4X 

9 



10 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER YII. 

A LOVE OF DIVINE THINGS FOR THEIR INTRINSIC EX- 
CELLENCE, DISTINCTIVE or GRACIOUS AFFECTIONS, 50 

CHAPTER VIII. 

THE THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS OF THE RENEWED 

MIND, SPIRITUAL, 58 

CHAPTER IX. 

AN ASSURED BELIEF IN THE CERTAINTY OF SPIRITUAL 
THINGS ARISING FROM THEIR DIVINE COMMUNICA- 
TION TO THE SOUL, A DISTINGUISHING FEATURE OF 
TRUE PIETY, 70 

CHAPTER X. 

CONFORMITY TO THE SPIRIT AND TEMPER OF JESUS 
CHRIST, A CHARACTERISTIC MARK OF THE TRUK 
CHRISTLAlN, . 82 

CHAPTER XI. 

OBEDIENCE TO GOD, THE FRUIT OF DIVINE LOVE, . 90 

CHAPTER XII. 

THE WAY OF HOLINESS, THAT OF PEACE, . . 104 

CHAPTER XIII. 

DANGERS IN THE WAY, 110 

CHAPTER XIY. 

SPIRITUAL DARKNESS, 123 



CONTENTS. 11 

CHAPTER XV. 

HOW ONE WHO HAS FOUND THE WAY OF PEACE MAY 
PRESERVE THE PURITY AND STRENGTH OF HIS 
RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS, AND EVER LIVE IN THE 
BLESSEDNESS OF RELIGION, . . . . 136 

CHAPTER XYL 

COMMUNION WaTH GOD, ESSENTIAL TO A LIFE OF 

PEACE, 140 

CHAPTER XYII. 

KEEPING THE HEART, NECESSARY TO A HOLY WALK, 148 

CHAPTER XYIIL 

THE FORMATION OF CORRECT RELIGIOUS HABITS, IN- 
DISPENSABLE TO ELEVATED RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS, 156 

CHAPTER XIX. 

READING, AMUSEMENTS, AND CONVERSATION, IN THEIR 

RELATIONS TO SPIRITUAL PEACE, . . .167 



CHAPTER XX. 

• RIGHT RELIGIOUS ASSOCIATIONS, AND THEIR HAPPY 
INFLUENCE, 

CHAPTER XXI. 

DOING GOOD, AS THE CONSTANT HABIT OF LIFE, THE 
MEANS OF RELIGIOUS CULTURE, .... 

CHAPTER XXII. 

AFFLICTION, VIEWED IN ITS RELATIONS TO PEACE, 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

THE BLESSEDNESS OF A LIFE OF PEACE, 



180 



188 



200 



216 



12 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

PEACE AMID STORMS, 229 

CHAPTER XXY. 

THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS, 244 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

THE EVERLASTING REST, 262 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

THE FAREWELL, 275 



THE 



WAY OF PEACE, 



TO THOSE WHO LONG FOR PEACE. 

As I glance my eye around, I discover amid 
the crowd many who are solicitous for enduring 
peace. Troubled in their minds, they are anx- 
ious to attain tranquillity. The world cannot 
give them the repose they seek. In the enjoy- 
ment of its good, there is still a longing after 
pleasures more substantial. In view of what 
they know of themselves, and of what the sa- 
cred Scriptures teach, they are disquieted. With 
no assurance of future blessedness, and conscious 
of no relief from the burden of sin, they are 
oppressed with gloomy forebodings, and are 
restless even when the world esteems them 
happy. They long for peace. 

This solicitude varies with the changing scenes 
around them. They who feel a longing for 
peace to-day, may to-morrow be thoughtless. 

13 



14 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

The cool and determined neglecter of religion 
was once disturbed by troubled thoughts. He 
was convicted, but succeeded in allaying his 
convictions. He felt an earnest desire for peace, 
but it presently gave place to unconcern. Ee- 
flection is thus succeeded by thoughtlessness ; 
and thoughtlessness in its turn gives place to 
reflection. This variableness of feeling is natu- 
ral to the impenitent mind. 

Intermingled with the worldly and thought- 
less, are some who are comforted with the hope 
that they are Christians. In every place where 
the Gospel has produced its legitimate impres- 
sions on the heart, there are those who indulge 
this hope. To them especially are the instruc- 
tions of this work addressed. It is my aim to 
set forth those evidences of true religion which 
may discover to them the nature of their reli- 
gious experience ; and to unfold those counsels 
which may guide them into the way of joeace, 
and show them how to maintain a life of bless- 
edness to its close. 

You think that you know what it is to love 
the Saviour, and flatter yourself that your hope 
of heaven is genuine. Need I tell you, that 
many who think the same of their hope, are 
deceived ? They trust in a delusive and ground- 
less expectation of future blessedness. They 
have built their house, but it is upon the sand. 



PEACE EARNESTLY DESIRED. 15 

Some imagine that they have become Christians, 
by baptism ; that they then became children of 
God, and that all that is now needed to perfect 
in them this religion, is to continue within the 
pale of the Church, and in the reception of its 
ordinances. In these outward means of grace 
they trust ; and they feel a kind of peace. But 
it is a false security. It is such as Paul felt 
while he trusted in his observance of the Jewish 
ritual. He felt peaceful in his error, and thought 
himself secure of heaven. But when the com- 
mandment came, and was applied to his con- 
science in its spirituality and power, his peace 
fled, nor could he rest till he received Christ as 
his Saviour, and found mercy at his feet. Nev- 
er till, through faith in the Eedeemer, he felt 
his sins forgiven, did he obtain peace. 

Nothing is more fatal to the burdened sinner 
than to depend upon his own righteousness, or 
upon his formal observance of religious duties ; 
for nothing does so effectually turn away the 
soul from Christ, and prevent its application to 
him for pardon. And this error infects many 
who think themselves Christians. It is neces- 
sary carefulljT- to guard against its deceptive 
influence. Unless you properly discriminate the 
true nature of Christian hope, you may be de- 
ceived. It is important for you to know what 
are the evidences of real piety on which you 



16 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

may safely rely, and that you have come to Christ 
by faith, and begun to walk in the way of peace, 
before those counsels designed to show how you 
may preserve your soul in the love of God, and 
in the blessedness of religion, can have any 
application to your case. 

But though you may not confide in your own 
righteousness as the ground of acceptance with 
God, yet there are other errors, to which you 
are liable, which are equally fatal. Your hope 
of having experienced that moral renovation 
which our Saviour compares to a new birth, 
may be groundless. Your view of doctrine 
may be correct ; but, in applying the tests of 
conversion to develop the nature of your re- 
ligious experience, you may so misapprehend 
them, or so improperly apply them, as to fail 
of a correct result. There is a constant liable- 
ness to self-deception which ought never to be 
forgotten. 

Many mistake their own characters, through 
wrong views of the nature of conversion. They 
may think that it consists only in making up 
one's mind to be a Christian, determining to lead 
a different life ; or in a public profession of re- 
ligion ; or in baptism ; and thus rest upon an 
error which will prove fatal to their hope of ac- 
ceptance with God. Instances of self-deception 
arising from these sources are constantly occur- 



PEACE EAKNESl'LY DESIRED. 17 

ring. The world is full of them. There are 
imminent dangers to which those who would 
pursue the path to heaven are exposed, and it 
requires the greatest care to avoid them. 

With these dangers full in view, I ask you 
carefully to inquire, whether the peace you feel 
proceeds from a well-grounded hope in Jesus 
Christ, or from some false and unscriptural as- 
sumption. You long for peace ; but in striving 
to gain it, you are liable to mistake that which 
is false, for the genuine. You may think 
yourself advancing to the happy termination of 
life, when you have no substantial ground for 
this opinion. Instead of pressing on in the way 
of peace, you may have never yet entered it ; 
and the peace you feel may be delusive. It may 
resemble that which the Psalmist describes when 
he says, *^ There are no bands in their death, 
neither are they in trouble as other men are." 
There is a false, as there is a true hope. There 
is a love of God which is merely selfish, and is 
consistent with a proud and unsubdued heart. 
There is an obedience which is formal only. 
There are unfaithful, as there are faithful ser- 
vants ; foolish virgins, as there are wise ; and 
fields yielding both tares and wheat. There are 
those who shall knock, but never gain admit- 
tance to the palace of the Great King. There 
are those who will continue to feel peaceful, 
2 



18 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

hoping for admission there, up to the fatal mo- 
ment when they shall receive the sentence, " De- 
part from me, I never knew you." 

Should your peace prove thus groundless, 
what pen can portray the bitter anguish which 
will ensue ? You hope, in the bright world 
above, to mingle with the pious friends who have 
gone before you, and often think of the blessed- 
ness of that interview ; but this object of hope 
may never be realized. Your hope may be one 
which is destitute of foundation, and whose onlv 
tendency is delusive. Such hopes there are ; and 
they will perish when Grod shall take away the 
soul. 

But there is one, very different in its nature, 
which cannot deceive you, but ^4s as an anchor 
to the soul, both sure and steadfast." This hope 
is set before you in the Gospel ; and there is op- 
portunity to gain it. The self-deceived even may 
now discover their delusion, and repair their 
error. No language can express the peace and 
joy of the soul when this hope takes possession 
of it Disquietude gives place to calm repose. 
The storm within ceases to rage, and the turbu- 
lent waves of passion and discontent die along 
the shore. He who was once oppressed with 
terrible fears, has found peace. He begins to 
walk with God. And every step taken in this 
way, every conflict and victory, every temptation 



PEACE EARNESTLY DESIRED. 19 

and triumph, do but occasion a renewed hope 
of overcoming the world, and of reaching at 
length the happy termination of his journey. 

The way of peace ! Blessed way ! way that 
the saints have trodden till they reached their 
home ! The way of peace ! Never can sinful 
man be happy till he finds i . This is the way 
in which you desire to walk. I purpose to set 
it before you ; and to show how you may 
ever continue in the enjoyment of peace, till you 
pass by death away from this vale' of tears, and 
enter, through the beauty of holiness, into the 
everlasting rest. 



a^tu ^U0«ir. 



THE NATURE OP TRUE PEACE. 

Peace is a state of quiet, or tranquillity. 
There is peace in the elements when the storm 
has ceased. There is peace between foes when 
terms of agreement and friendly intercourse 
have been negotiated, and the conflict is termi- 
nated. There is peace in the disturbed mind 
when its disquietude is at an end. But Christian 
peace includes more than mere freedom from 
disquiet. It implies the renewal of friendly 
relations to God, and a calm delight in him. 
When one, who has felt the painful apprehen- 
sions which sin occasions, becomes sensible of 
pardon, his soul is no longer disturbed. All 
his disquietude is at an end ; and, in the assu- 
rance of the divine friendship, he feels a sweet 
and heavenly peace. 

The foundation of peace is innocence. A 
sinless being is naturally free from apprehen- 
sion, and his peaceful relations with God are 
never disturbed. Our first parents in Eden 
were thus sinless, and while in a state of inno- 

20 



NATURE OF TRUE PEACE. 21 

cence, they had peace. So also was Jesus Christ. 
Conscious of no sin, his bosom was ever the 
abode of perfect peace. He was not only free 
from disquieting apprehensions, but had a calm 
and constant delight in God. This peace was 
natural to him as a sinless being ; and it is to 
this that he refers, when he calls it his own. 
'* Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto 
you." 

But the peace which our Saviour felt^ and 
that of his disciples, though alike in their effect 
upon the mind, were dissimilar in their origin. 
Our Saviour's peace naturally flowed from his 
innocence ; that of his disciples sprung from the 
consciousness of pardon. Jesus Christ enjoyed 
peace by virtue of his own sinless nature ; the 
sinner attains it through faith. Justification by 
faith includes both pardon and acceptance ; and 
pardon has the same power that perfect inno- 
cence has, to confer peace. He who is free from 
debt by the remission of his dues, and he who 
cancels a debt by paying it, stand on the same 
ground as to freedom from pecuniary obliga- 
tion ; but the one gains this freedom through 
means fitted to excite his gratitude ; the other 
cancels the obligation through his own ability 
to meet it. 

A sinless being has peace because he perfectly 
obeys God, and thus fulfils all his obligations 



22 THE WAY OF PKACK. 

towards liim. Innocence is the foundation of his 
peace. But a sinner has no such innocence* 
He is under obligations to God, which he can- 
not meet. If he could perfectly obey in future, 
it would not take away the guilt of his past 
disobedience. He has no innocence, and how can 
lie have peace ? It is through forgiveness 
only. He may be pardoned, and accepted as 
innocent, for the sake of Christ who has died 
for him, and in whom he trusts. His sins may 
be forgiven, through the sufferings and death 
of Christ ; and he may receive the benefit 
of his propitiatory sacrifice, by receiving and 
resting by faith on him alone. Thus accepting 
Christ by faith, he becomes a partaker of the 
benefits of his righteousness, and is treated as if 
innocent. He is forgiven, and received into the 
divine friendship, as freely as if he had never 
sinned. Peace is thus kindled in his soul, and, 
" being justified by faith," he has ^^ peace with 
God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." 

It is singular indeed, says one, if faith in 
Jesus Christ can take the place of innocence, 
and annihilate the painful effects of sin upon 
the soul. How can this be? I can readily 
understand how an innocent person can stand 
before God in quietness and joy, but it is not 
so clear to me how faith can produce upon the 
mind the effect of innocence. 



NATURE OF TRUE PEACE. 23 

Many turn from the Gospel plan of justifica- 
tion, and even treat it with contempt, because 
they do not understand it, and have no wish to 
experience its power upon their own hearts. 
Perhaps its simplicity is the ground of their 
neglect ; for nothing can be more simple than 
its plan of mercy. Its natural effect upon the 
believing mind is to confer peace. Nor is this 
effect of faith peculiar to the Gospel. Suppose 
that you owe a thousand dollars, and have 
given your note for that amount payable at a 
certain time ; but, through misfortune, you have 
been deprived of the means on which you de- 
pended to meet that payment when it should 
become due. Your mind would naturally be- 
come disturbed, nor could you see ruin coming 
upon you without disquietude. You strive to 
raise the amount necessary to meet your en- 
gagements, but fail to do so. And, while in 
deep distress, a friend goes to the bank, pays 
your debt, takes up your note, and encloses it 
to you as a free gift. You receive the enclosure, 
and your mind is instantly relieved. You be- 
lieve that your obligations are cancelled, and 
faith removes your disquiet, and gives you 
peace. You are now as happy as if you had 
never come under such pecuniary obligations, 
or were able yourself to meet them. But you 
did not cancel that debt, nor did you see it 



24 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

done ; but you believe in the friend who did it 
for you. This faith has disburdened your mind 
of its fears, and kindled there a feeling of sweet 
repose, and of grateful love to him who has 
come to your relief. So faith in the Saviour re- 
moves from the sinner's mind his burden. 
Christ has met those obligations which would 
crush the sinner, and has suffered in his stead ; 
and faith in him takes away the painful effects 
of sin, and imparts a calm and delightful repose 
in the Saviour. 

This is no illusion, but a reality. It is a real 
transaction, to which the Gospel bears testimony. 
"It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all 
acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the 
world to save sinners." He assumed our nature, 
and suffered in our stead. " He is the propitia- 
tion for our sins ; and not for ours only, but for 
the sins of the whole world." " We are re- 
deemed, not with corruptible things, as silver 
and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ." 
He has so endured the penalty of the violated 
law, and so suffered in the place of sinners, that 
whosoever believeth in him shall not perish. 
Faith assures the trembling sinner of pardon ; 
and it therefore takes the place of innocence in 
conferring peace. For those, who receive and 
rest by faith on Jesus Christ, he hath suffered all 
that the law demands, and they therefore go free 



NATURE OF TRUE PEACE. 25 

from its curse. And more than this: they are 
accepted of God, and treated as if they had 
never sinned. *'As many as received him, to 
them gave he power to become the sons of God, 
even to them that believe on his name." 

To comprehend the nature of Christian peace, 
it is necessary to view its foundation ; and how 
that which is conferred upon the sinner, differs 
from that enjoyed by the sinless. The effect 
upon the soul is the same in both instances. 
The pardoned sinner has the same quiet repose 
in God that the sinless have. But he attains 
this peace, not by virtue of his own innocence, 
but through faith in the Eedeemer, by whom he 
is introduced into a pardoned state. This is the 
way of peace. It was the object of our Saviour's 
mission to earth to provide this way, that sin 
might be forgiven, and the sinner reclaimed to 
holiness. When Jesus became incarnate, there- 
fore, the angels over the plains of Bethlehem 
sung in the wondering shepherds' ears, '^ Glory 
to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good- 
will towards men." Both in the Old Testament 
and the New, it is taught that the sinner's 
peace springs from the remission of his sins. 
These dispensations both have in view the same 
great end, differing in this only, that one antici- 
pates the coming of the Eedeemer ; the other gives 
a full development of the nature of his mission. 



26 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

The patriarchs enjoyed peace, as did the 
apostles, through faith in the same Saviour. The 
faith of Abel was essentially that of Paul. It 
differed in this only, that it viewed the object 
of faith from another point ; the one believing 
in a Kedeemer to come, the other in one who 
had already come. The repentance of David 
resembled that of Peter. These ancient saints 
obtained mercy through faith in the same Saviour, 
and both entered the way of peace through the 
same door. 

This is the way of peace which the Gospel re- 
veals as accessible to all who will walk therein. 
Through this, the wanderer from God may now 
return to him, and have the burden of his guilt 
removed. He may thus gain relief from the painful 
apprehensions which sin occasions, and have kin- 
dled in his soul a calm and peaceful joy. He 
who has entered on this way, is introduced into 
the friendship of God, and made happy in the 
consciousness of his love. His mind is relieved 
from all its anxieties, and instead of painful ap- 
prehensions, he feels a sweet, and undisturbed, 
and holy repose. 

This is peace, and it is the fruit of true reli- 
gion. It is a cheerful confidence in God which 
kindles this calm and holy delight in him. Re- 
lieved of his burden, the Christian pilgrim ad- 
vances towards the celestial city, singing for joy. 



NATURE OF TRUE PEACE. 27 

His fears have vanished. God has become his 
friend ; and in the nearness which he feels to 
him, he is conscious of a blessedness resembling 
that of heaven. 



NO ELEMENT OF PEACE IN THE SINFUL MIND, 

A SINNER is in a very different moral state 
from an innocent person. He comes, by sin, 
into the power of conscience, to suffer its re- 
proaches. Mental disquiet is natural to man in 
his degenerate and fallen state ; and it is in this 
state that he comes into the world. There is 
not a human beins: who is without sin. The evi- 
dence given in one^s early life of a natural prone- 
ness to sin, is clear and undeniable. It is a fatal 
result of the great apostasy. ^'Sin entered the 
world, and death by sin ; and so death hath pass- 
ed upon all men, for that all have sinned." 

No individual of our race naturally possesses 
a holy mind, but one that is inclined to sin, con- 
trolled by carnal affections, and estranged from 
God. No one, however piously educated, nat- 
urally inclines to love and obey God, Unless 
the soul, in early childhood, experience a reno- 
vation of its moral affections, it will have no re- 
ligion which will outlast the period of youth. 

28 



SINNERS WITHOUT PEACE. 29 

Amid worldly pleasures, it will forget God, or 
remember him only as an object of terror. 

As we do not come by natural birth into a 
state of peace with God, neither do we reach 
this state through the growth and expansion of 
the intellect. The sinful affections of youth ex- 
ist in greater strength in man. The passions 
which are dormant in youth^ rise into their full 
power in manhood; sinful custom becomes habit ; 
and the mind, advancing to maturity, still re- 
tains, with increasino^ streno;th, those affections 
which are alienated from God. There springs 
from the world no power to transform these af- 
fections, and to change them. 

Nor is the mind changed, as to its essential 
character, by the religious observances to which 
it resorts for the recovery of its peace. Paul 
was a model Pharisee ; and if his heart had been 
susceptible of a moral renovation through mere 
religious observances, he would have undoubt- 
edly attained it. But his efforts to find peace in 
this way were fruitless. Never did he obtain 
it, till he penitently returned to God through, faith 
in the gracious Eedeemer. In like manner, all 
the appliances of a mere formal religion to re- 
cover one from a state of sin and misery, are 
utterly powerless. No application of water in 
baptism can change the spiritual affections of 
the soul, and restore the divine image lost by the 



80 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

apostasy. Nor was baptism ever designed for 
such an object. The sacred Scriptures ascribe to 
it no such virtue. Whose soul has it ever re- 
newed and changed ? Where are the evidences 
that any such spiritual effect flows from its ad- 
ministration ? Not all the waters of the Jordan, 
applied by consecrated hands, can wash away 
a single stain of guilt, or transfer the sinner 
from an unregenerate state to one of holiness. 
A presumptuous trust in this ordinance, as the 
means of regeneration, has arisen from substi- 
tuting the symbol for the thing signified ; the 
washing with water, for the spiritual cleansing 
of the Holy Spirit. *^ But except a man be. born 
of water and of the Spirit, lie cannot enter into 
the kingdom of Grod." 

Nor is this spiritual transformation effected 
through the use of any formal religious ob- 
servances. All such, means directed to this 
end are wholly powerless. They resemble the 
culture bestowed on a dead tree ; for there is no 
spiritual life in the soul of man, no spark of di- 
vine love, which can thus be kindled into a 
flame. Man is, by nature, '^ dead in trespasses 
and sins." Every attempt to introduce spir- 
itual life into his soul, by the invocation of 
saints, by fasting, and self mortification, must 
utterly fail. To walk on one's knees around the 
tomb of a saint, or climb, in this way, a flight 



SINNERS WITHOUT PEACE. 81 

of holy stairs, or measure one's length to some 
illustrious slirine, or perform a pilgrimage to the 
holy cit}^, or to inflict stripes upon one's person, 
by his own hand, or by any self-inflicted tor- 
tures, it is impossible for one to effect a spiritual 
change in his own heart. Such austerities do 
not differ in principle from those practised by 
the heathen ; and they have no power to confer 
peace upon the sinful soul. Nor is it in the 
power of any church, or priesthood, to do that 
for the soul of man which will take it out of its 
ruined state and introduce it into the kingdom 
of God. 

The only access into the way of peace, which 
is possible for the sinner, is by a spiritual reno- 
vation. He **must be born again, or he cannot 
see the kingdom of God." He must return in 
repentance unto God, and receive the forgive- 
ness of his sins, through faith in the Eedeemer. 
The claim of God reaches far beyond the effect 
of any outward religious observances — even to 
the heart, with all its affections. This heart must 
be changed. In its natural state, it has no ele- 
ment of peace. For, **the carnal mind is enmity 
against God ; it is not subject to the law of God, 
neither indeed can be. So, then, they that are 
in the flesh cannot please God." *^ But to be 
spiritually-minded is life and peace." 

The unrenewed mind includes in itself no el- 



82 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

ement of peace. It is in a sinful and lost state ; 
in one of condemnation and misery. Nor is it 
capable, by its own unaided efforts, of securing 
reconciliation with God. It needs pardon for its 
sins, and justification through faith in Jesus 
Christ. And it is because man is naturally in a 
sinful, lost state, that God has provided the mer- 
cy of the Gospel, to reclaim his alienated affec- 
tions, and restore him to holiness and bliss. 



HOW ONE, OPPRESSED WITH A SENSE OF HIS SINFULNESS, MAY 
COME INTO A STATE OF PEACE. 

Peace is not the result of a blind effort, on the 
part of man, to purify his own heart. The sin- 
ner can do nothing, in his own strength, to re- 
move from his soul the burden of guilt. But 
he is responsible for its removal, because able 
to seek, and obtain this mercy, as it is proffered 
in the Gospel. His sins must be pardoned, and 
his soul renewed. The natural mind must be- 
come a spiritual one. He who has experienced 
this moral change, is essentially different from 
what he once was. His affections, which were 
once fixed supremely on himself, are now trans- 
ferred to God. He loves him with all his 
heart; and this change in the controlling affec- 
tion of his mind imparts a corresponding one 
to his desires and volitions. He has become ^* a 
new creature in Christ." ^^ Old things are passed 
away, and all things have become new." 

Before the experience of this change in his 
affections, man loves himself supremely, and 

8 * 33 



34 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

loves God only as the instrument of promoting 
his happiness. He loves himself first, and all 
other beings and things subordinately. lie has 
no love to God for his intrinsic excellence; nor 
to the world for anything that it offers, in itself 
considered, but only for its power to please him. 
His thoughts and desires chiefly centre on him- 
self; and he regards the world, and all its ob- 
jects of delight, as subordinate to his own 
pleasure. 

In this state of his affections, man has no real 
love for holiness; nor for God as a holy, just, 
and good being ; but he loves whatever he 
thinks will promote his own happiness, and pro- 
portions his esteem to its estimated value in this 
respect. He loves the world, and the Prince of 
this world, on the same principle that he loves 
the pure and holy Jehovah — regarding both only 
as serviceable to himself. The character of 
the things which are loved enters not into his 
thoughts, but only whether they may become 
useful in the promotion of his own individual 
enjoyment. Thus, impenitent men as readily 
transgress the law of God, as they obey it, if 
they think their pleasure requires it. They not 
only love the things which are adverse to holi- 
ness, but the sinful being who represents them, 
more than they do the glorious and holy God. 
To love him supremely, must necessarily ajQui- 



PEACE ACQUIRED. 35 

hilate their love of sinful pleasures ; but in 
loving themselves supremely, it brings both the 
good and evil spirit into subordination to them- 
selves, to stand side by side, and the one to 
receive, for the time, their special regard, who 
is conceived to be the most instrumental in the 
promotion of their pleasures. Thus the unre- 
newed man assumes, as the controlling principle 
of his conduct, to do that which he esteems for 
his own advantage. If he think it for his 
interest or pleasure to disobey God at any time, 
he will do it ; for it is himself, and not God, 
that he aims supremely to please. 

But conversion changes this governing affec- 
tion, and brings the world and its pleasures into 
subordination to the love of God. It changes 
every inimical feeling of the soul to love, and 
moulds all its affections and volitions into con- 
formity with the divine will. The changed soul 
thus comes into a spiritual and holy state. Its 
thoughts, desires, and volitions all derive their 
character from supreme love to God. God is 
first ; and man and all his interests are subordi- 
nate. The creature has found his proper place. 
The moral order of things, disturbed by the 
apostasy, is now restored. God has risen to his 
appropriate place in the heart of man ; and the 
world has sunk to its proper place. 

But how, 9r through what means, doe$ the 



36 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

carnal mind thus become a spiritual one ? A 
divine instrumentality only can effect this moral 
renovation, for it exceeds all human power. 
This means, grace provides. Were it not for 
the divine interposition, man would not feel the 
need of a new heart, nor seek it. But God, in 
his Gospel, provides a remedy for the moral evil 
of the apostate state ; and, by his sacred teach- 
ings, precedes any interest which the sinner 
feels for his own salvation. 

To excite his penitential return to him, he 
convinces him of his sinfulness, and shows him 
that nothing but forgiveness, and an entire 
change of his moral affections, can remove the 
evil. ^^ What must I do to be saved ?" is the 
inquiry naturally awakened under these teach- 
ings, and the impulses of the Holy Spirit which 
accompany them. ^^ Believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ, and thou shalt be saved," is the reply ; 
and this believing in Jesus Christ includes a 
yielding up of the soul with all its affections to 
Jesus Christ, and trusting in him alone for jus- 
tification. It is in coming to Christ by faith 
that the burdened soul finds relief In thus 
looking to Christ, the heart itself is changed, and 
a new tide of gracious affections bursts forth from 
it, as from a fountain, and flows onward towards 
God. It is the view of his goodness as displayed 
through the cross towards guilty man, which 



PEACE ACQUIRED. 37 

effects this spiritual change. As the sinner 
gazes upon the Saviour, who died for him, and 
trusts in him, tears of repentance gush from his 
eyes and course down his cheeks. He is won 
by love ; and he now turns from all his sins to 
God. Selfishness is slain, and God, as the object 
of supreme love, is elevated to the throne in 
that heart. 

The spiritual renovation thus becomes com- 
plete. It is a work effected through the means and 
influences which the Holy Spirit has set in opera- 
tion, and which are fitted to produce this change; 
and he who has experienced it, is " born of the 
Holy Spirit." He delights in God. He loves 
what he loves, and hates what he hates. He 
feels, and is enabled to say, '' My soul thirsteth 
for God," which he could never say before. 

This change breaks up the whole moral man, 
and constructs it on a new principle, even that 
of love to God. It is called a new bii-th, and a 
new creation. The soul, through this spiritual 
change, comes into a state of reconciliation to 
God, and of peace. The controversy has ended 
in the sinner's submission ; and all the fears 
which once disquieted him are gone. In the 
soul, which is thus introduced into the love of 
God, there is peace ; and he who has experienced 
this mercy, has come into the way of peace. 
The wandering child has returned to his Father. 



38 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

The rebel has become a friend. Grace has tri- 
umphed ; and there is joy among the angels of 
God in heaven over a sinner saved. 



€\^^tn iifi\. 



A PEACEFUL MIND DISTINGUISHED BY CERTAIN CHARACTERISTICS. 

There is an essential diflference between a mind 
controlled by supreme love to God, and one des- 
titute of tbis spiritual affection. Tbis diversity 
extends to all its tbougbts, desires, and volitions. 
Tbe mind may be known by its operations, as 
the tree is known by its fruit. So marked are 
the differences between the soul that is reconcil- 
ed to God through faith in Jesus Christ, and one 
that is not, as readily to be discriminated. One 
may detect them in himself, and discover them 
in others. True religion as it exists in the soul 
has its distinguishing marks, and may be known 
by a proper discrimination of its evidences. It 
is important for one to know what his own 
spiritual state is, and whether reconciled to God 
or not. 

No one wishes to deceive himself on this 
point ; yet many are unquestionably deceived. 
They do not give their earnest attention to this 
subject, or else mistake the evidences of a moral 

39 



40 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

renovation. One must feel satisfied of his par- 
don, and acceptance with God, or he cannot feel 
peace. A false hope, like the house builded on 
the sand, may be suddenly overthrown. Through 
a storm of worldly temptations it may be swept 
away. But a true Christian hope is like the 
house builded on a rock. It endures firm amid 
temptation. 

But though one have a good hope, it is not 
posBible, at all times, to gain a comfortable as- 
surance of it. The spiritual affections may be 
so languid, and the life so devoid of holy fruits, 
as to offer but few evidences of a renovated heart. 
But when the affections are active, and flow forth 
as from a living fountain, and when, in the life, 
the fruits of piety abound, this difficulty is not 
so great. But there needs ever to be great cau- 
tion in discriminating the evidences of conver- 
sion. 

You hope that you have found true peace ; 
but how may you become assured that this hope 
is genuine, and that this peace is a fruit of true 
conversion ? How may you ascertain it to be 
the result of a work of the Spirit in the soul ? 
To aid you in deciding this question, I have set 
forth, in the six following chapters, the distin- 
guishing marks of true religion, and now com- 
mend them to your deliberate and prayerful 
consideration. 



SUPRiaiE DELIGHT IN GOD, THE ESSEXTIAL ELEMENT OF TRUE 
RELIGION. 

When, changed in its affections, the soul has 
come into a new moral state, and into the know- 
ledge of its new relations, and has found peace, 
it is filled with wonder and delight in the con- 
templation of God. Never before did it feel in 
him such love and confidence. Never before had 
it such thoughts of his glorious excellence. It 
feels that it cannot think of him, nor praise him 
enough. The world seems changed in conse- 
quence of the change which the soul has expe- 
rienced, and is full of God. The whole creation 
bears the impress of his glory. Every star that 
twinkles in the firmament, and every leaf and 
flower of earth, seem to praise him. These are 
the thoughts and feelings of the renewed soul, 
when God becomes the object of its supreme love. 
To him its thoughts now turn with complacent 
delight, and its desires rise to him as the most 
glorious of beings, compared with whom all 
worldly objects of interest fade oway. 



42 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

This love is real, and it assumes the place of 
those vile affections which once sought their 
gratification in the world. It is not upon an 
imaginary deity that it rests, but upon that glo- 
rious, eternal, and unchangeable being whose 
wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and 
truth, now command the sympathies and affec- 
tions of the renewed mind. Men, in their pride, 
would shape the character of God after their own 
notions. The heathen exalt the various desires 
and passions of the heart into deities, whose 
worship they love, because they delight in that 
which solicits and justifies, in their view, the 
unrestrained gratification of their own lusts. 
But God our Creator is very different from all 
such creations of fancy. He is the personifica- 
tion of virtue ; the fountain of excellence. In 
loving him, the soul loves the perfections which 
his character represents. It delights in virtue. 
It finds its chief pleasure in holiness. It loves 
God for those qualities of character which dis- 
tinguish him as the most excellent and glorious 
of beings. It would not change a single attri- 
bute. It would not have him become, in any 
respect, different from what he is. 

All true love to God is for his own intrinsic 
excellence. But there is an affection resembling 
this, and liable to be mistaken for it, w^hich is 
merely selfish. Men often feel a kind of plea- 



SUPREME DELIGHT IN GOD. 43 

sure in the thought of God as good to them, 
who feeds, clothes, and sustains them, and whom, 
they hope, will save them ; and they regard him 
as a Y^y good and useful being, who sends his 
sun and rain to refresh the earth, and cause it 
to bring forth its fruits for their benefit. And, 
when the heavens smile propitiously upon them, 
and their fields yield their abundance, and they 
are in the enjoyment of health, they even fancy 
that they love this good being, when it is them- 
selves only that they love. The only pleasure 
they feel in God is as the instrument of their 
happiness. It is only an inferior and selfish 
love which they bestow on him, and one that 
is subordinate to that which centres on them- 
selves. And they love him, as they do every 
thing besides, in proportion to their estimate of 
his value to themselves. 

This is the only love to God which the unre- 
generate soul ever feels. Sometimes it rises so 
high as to produce in one the impression that he 
has become a Christian. Even then it maintains 
its selfish character. It leads its possessor to 
speak much of heaven, and of his going thither, 
and of the beautiful things to be discovered and 
enjoyed. It kindles a love of religious meetings 
at times, because they tend to nurture the satisfac- 
tion felt at the thought of one's own future enjoy- 
ment. This delight all springs from the view 



44 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

of one's self; and treats God as one who should 
lay himself, and all his infinite mercies;, at 
his feet. It is a mere selfish pleasure, felt at 
the thought of one's own happiness. It is a 
happy feeling, which may readily be mistaken 
for love, and wdiich may exist in the mind 
disconnected from all holy obedience. 

But that love to God which is genuine, loves 
him for his own intrinsic excellence. It delights 
in him as an infinitely pure and holy being. 
It confides in him as a child in a loved parent. 
The heart turns evermore to him, with new 
affection, and ever-increasing delight. There is 
a calm and sweet repose in him, as in one 
whose providence preserves, — whose wisdom 
guides, — and who will cheerfully apply his wds- 
dom and power for our necessities. 

This love is the essential element of true re- 
ligion. It is the characteristic affection of the 
soul which has been reclaimed to God, and 
born again of his Holy Spirit ; which was lost 
through the apostasy, and is restored through 
grace. It evinces in that soul a renewed and 
holy state. It leads it supremely to God, to 
delight in him as a parent and friend. Its nat- 
ural effect is to conform the soul to his holi- 
ness, and kindle in it a supreme desire to please 
him. Its fruit is obedience. This love is su- 
preme. It loves God more than any other 



SUPKEME DELIGHT IN GOD. 45 

being, or all others in the universe. It is ac- 
cordant with the first or great command : **Thoa 
shalt have no God before me." It brings into sub- 
ordination to the will of Grod, and under control, 
every thought, desire, and volition of the mind. 

In the thoughts of the converted soul, God 
ever dwells, as the object of holy pleasure. 
*'How precious also are thy thoughts unto me," 
is the language of the pious Psalmist. ^*My 
soul thirsteth for God, for the living God ; 
when shall I come and appear before God?" 
But, as an object of supreme delight, God is ex- 
cluded from the sanctuary of the worldly mind. 
The most pleasing thoughts of the unconverted 
man are of himself, his increasing prosperity, 
his riches, his pleasures, the estimation in which 
he is held by others, and his success in life. 
But his thoughts never turn to God with any 
pleasure, as do those of the renovated soul. 

Saul, the king of Israel, had no such pleasant 
thoughts of God. He commenced his kingly 
career with an act of wilful disobedience, in 
which he treated him as subordinate to his 
own will, and ever after indulged the most un- 
kind and disrespectful thoughts of him. But 
David so loved God, that the consciousness of 
having offended him overwhelmed him in deep 
contrition, and he exclaimed, "Against thee, 
thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in 



46 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

thy sight. Have mercy upon me, God, ac- 
cording to thy loving-kindness; according unto 
the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my 
transgressions." And when he had become 
sensible of forgiveness, his joyful soul could 
not contain its emotions, and he poured them 
forth in grateful praise to God. No one can 
read his Psalms without a firm and abiding con- 
viction that he loved God with all his heart ; 
and that there was no pleasure ever experienced 
by him so great as that occasioned by meditation 
on his character. 

The same delight in God affects the desires of 
the converted soul. These rise to him as to 
one who is more loved, and whose love affords 
more real happiness than all other objects of 
affection in the universe besides. The uncon- 
verted soul does not feel thus. It delights more 
in the world. Its desires go forth more cheer- 
fully after worldly pleasures. They all centre 
upon one's self. The King of Babylon, when 
he had been triumphant in war, and had beauti- 
fied the chief city of his empire, assumed to 
himself all . the glory of his success. He 
erected an idol of gold, and exerted his kingly 
authority to secure its worship. He had no 
other wish than that which respected his own 
greatness. So the carnal mind cleaves to those 
worldly objects which may administer gratifica- 



SUPREME DELIGHT IN GOD. 47 

tion to its pride and lusts. Nor do the affections 
ever turn with delight to the contemplation of 
the holy God. 

But the Christian feels otherwise. Belongs for 
the manifestation of the Divine presence in his 
soul. Earnestly does he implore God to become 
his guide, his counsellor, and his friend. *^ My soul 
breaketh," he says, "for the longing it hath unto 
thyjudgments, atall times." "Mysoulfolloweth 
hard after thee." *' As the hartpanteth for the wa- 
ter brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God." 

One who supremely delights in God, loves to 
speak of him. We love ever to speak to others of 
our friends who are of distinguished worth ; so 
the Christian loves to represent God as honorable 
and excellent, and to commend him to others. The 
Psalmist gave expression to his feelings in lan- 
guage most appropriate and delightful. '* I will 
extol thee, my God, King ; and I will bless 
thy name for ever and ever. I will speak of the 
glorious honor of thy majesty, and talk of thy 
power. And men shall speak of the might of 
thy terrible acts, and I will declare all thy great- 
ness." " Come and hear, all ye that fear God, 
and I will declare what he hath done for my 
soul." All who love God, unite in such expres- 
sions of praise, because they supremely delight 
in him. And where their joy begins, that of the 
worldly mind terminates. 



48 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

A desire supremely to please God is also char- 
acterisRc of the mind that loves him. It is a 
natural fruit of love. Love naturally prompts 
one to make it the chief end and aim of his being 
to please God, But the carnal mind is susceptible 
of no such feeling. It leads one to seek the grat- 
ification of his own appetites and passions, and 
often, in doing that which God has expressly 
prohibited. But he who supremely delights 
in God, conforms his actions to his will, and 
finds his chief happiness in doing what he ap- 
proves. Thus Paul, the apostle of Christ, had 
no other wish than to do the will of his heavenly 
Master. ^^ God forbid that I should glory," said 
he, ^'save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I 
unto the world." His whole life manifested a 
uniform desire to please his heavenly Master, 
and to finish the work given him to do. And 
this is the chief desire of every one who delights 
supremely in God. 

In the illustration of this subject, you cannot 
have failed to mark the difierence between the 
carnal and spiritual mind, as developed in the 
different estimation in which God is held by each. 
The one loves the world and its pleasures, be- 
cause its affections centre on himself; the other 
supremely delights in God. The one loves to 
think of his own plans, and of the objects on 



SUPREME DELIGHT IN GOD. 49 

which his heart is set ; the other loves to think 
most of God. The one is best pleased to con- 
verse about the worldly matters in which he is 
interested ; the other delights most in the things 
which pertain to God. The one aims supremely to 
please himself; the other brings every thing into 
subordination to the will of God, and makes it 
the chief object of his life to please him. Which 
of these characters do you acknowledge as ap- 
propriate to yourself ? 

Is God the object of your supreme delight ? 
The question is not whether you do not some- 
times have pleas?,nt thoughts of him as good to 
you, but do you delight in him as a holy being, 
who is possessed of every excellence, and who 
hates and will punish sin ? Do you love him 
more than any thing besides ? Can you appeal 
to him for the truth and sincerity of your affec- 
tion, saying, *^ Lord, thou knowest all things ; 
thou knowest that I love thee." Have you this 
evidence of true peace ? Can you say from your 
inmost soul, '* Thou art my God ;" " Whom 
have I in heaven but thee, and there is none on 
earth that I desire beside thee?" If so, you may 
rejoice in him ; and your joy no man can take 
away. 



A LOVE OF DIVINE THINGS FOR THEIR INTRINSIC EXCELLENCE, 
DISTINCTIVE OF GRACIOUS AFFECTIONS. 

The love of divine things, in the soul 
that is renewed, is for their real excellence. 
True love to God is founded on his character ; 
and gratitude, in view of his mercies, ever 
takes this character into view. That gratitude 
which rejoices in the good bestowed, regardless 
of its source, is a mere selfish feeling ; but true 
gratitude ever contemplates the motive of the 
gift, and the character of the giver. True love 
is ever founded on some real or fancied excel- 
lence in the object loved. He who marries a 
wife from an appreciation of her personal excel- 
lence, and he who weds for a fortune, act from 
very different motives. In the one case, love is 
genuine ; in the other, it is spurious. 

This distinction is just, and is of great value, 
as applied to the development of religious char- 
acter. We may love God for what he is in 
himself, or as one whom we expect to bless us, 
and do us good ; the former is a true affection, 

50 



LOVE OF DIVINE THINGS. 51 

the latter is not. True gratitude is a feeling of 
good-will towards one, in view of his kindness. 
Properly to appreciate this kindness, requires 
the character and motive of the benefactor 
to be understood. As felt towards God, it is 
not the gift, so much as the excellent giver, who 
excites in return the kind emotions of the grate- 
ful heart. 

We love the flower for its beauty, the bird for 
its song, the landscape for the pleasure to the 
eye which it affords ; and our love for these 
various objects takes into view their various 
natures and uses. We love God for his own ex- 
cellence ; and the things which he has made, pro- 
portionally, as they reflect his glory. It is not 
the intellectual greatness of the angels which in- 
spires the Christian's love, in preference to fallen 
spirits, but their moral resemblance to God. 
Neither is it the intellectual character of Jehovah, 
which is the foundation of love to him, but his 
moral worth combined with his natural perfec- 
tions, and which together constitute him the 
most excellent and glorious being in the uni- 
verse. 

So, love to the sacred Scriptures, as expressive 
of the will of God to man, is .founded on tLvir 
excellence. ** Thy word is very pure," said the 
Psalmist, 'therefore thy servant loveth it." 
This word is the transcript of Jehovah's charac- 



52 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

ter, and it therefore commands the warm affec- 
tions of all who love him. *^ O how love I thy 
law ! it is my meditation all the day," is the ex- 
pression of every pious mind. The thought of 
heaven, too, is loved, because it is a holy place. 
Prayer is loved, b(^cause it is a holy duty ; and 
is a communication of the soul with the ever 
blessed God. And it is their moral resemblance 
to God, which is the foundation of that love 
which Chrisitans bear towards each other. 

But there is a love of divine things which is 
very different from this. There is a love for 
God, separate from the consideration of his ex- 
cellence, and which springs from a view of the 
good which he confers ; and this may stand as the 
representative of a class of affections, all of 
which grow out of selfishness, and are consistent 
with the moral state of the unconverted soul. 
Thus one may love the angels, viewed as his 
guardian spirits, without any proper conception 
of their holiness ; he may love the word of God, 
because bethinks he there discovers the evidence 
of his future happiness, when he has no attach- 
ment to the spiritual duties which it commands ; 
he may love the worship of God, for the sake of 
its formalities, or the pleasant things accompany- 
ing it, when he loves not spiritual communion 
and intercourse with the Deity. 

He may love religious conversation, more 



LOVE OF DIVINE THINGS. 53 

from the pleasure of talking, than regard for the 
thing conversed about. *'And hence it comes 
to pass," says Edwards, in his treatise on the 
affections, ^^that in their rejoicings and eleva- 
tions, hypocrites are wont to keep an eye upon 
themselves; having received what they call 
spiritual discoveries, their minds are taken up 
about their own experience, and not the glory 
of God or the beauty of Christ. They keep 
thinking with themselves, what a good experi- 
ence this is ! What a great discovery this is ! 
What wonderful things I have met with! And 
so they put their experiences in place of Christ, 
and his beauty and fulness. Instead of re- 
joicing in Christ Jesus, they rejoice in their ad- 
mirable experiences. Instead of feeding and 
feasting their souls, in viewing the innate, sweet, 
refreshing amiableness of the things exhibited in 
the Gospel, they view them only as it were side- 
ways. The object that fixes their contemplation 
is their experience, and they are ever feeding 
their souls, and feasting them on selfish princi- 
ples, with a view of their discoveries. They 
take more comfort in their discoveries, than in 
Christ discovered. This is the true notion of 
living upon experiences and frames, and not our 
using them as an evidence of our good estate. 
It is very observable, that some who reject 



54 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

evidences, are most notorious for living upon 
experiences, according to the true notion of it." 

If one who is deceived as to his religious 
hope, once attain a persuasion that his sins are 
forgiven, and that he is truly converted, he will 
often express more joy in what he feels than 
the true Christian does; because, as has just 
been remarked, his joy "is awakened more by 
his discoveries, than by Christ discovered. 
When you hear one speak of his own happi- 
ness, and find him ready to shout for joy be- 
cause he is going to heaven, when he has no 
disposition to speak of the glories of Gcd and 
the excellences of his holy nature, but it is all I, 
with him, what I have done, how I have felt, 
and whither I am going, you may set that per- 
son down in your mind as destitute, in all proba- 
bility, of love to God, and as having only a 
selfish joy at his own imagined deliverance from 
punishment. 

Joy is the effect of that love which is kindled 
in the soul, in view of the excellency of divine 
things ; but in the case of the self-deceived, it is 
its cause. And the difference between one who 
loves and therefore rejoices, and one who re- 
joices and therefore loves, is vast indeed. The 
one has a pure and holy affection ; the other 
only one that is selfish. The object which in- 



LOVE OF DIVINE THINGS. 65 

spires the one, is tlic holiness of the things 
loved; that which inspires the other, is the 
thought of escape from future misery. 

None but he who loves God for his excellence, 
ever loves divine things for theirs ; but he in 
whom his love dwells, loves the beings and 
things around him, in proportion as they reflect 
the divine glory. We love the beautiful flowers, 
the gentle streams, the rich and variegated 
landscape, for their several excellent quali- 
ties. So, when our thoughts rise to God and 
take into view the excellency of his character, 
does our love ascend to him also. It is the ad- 
mirable qualities of his character for which we 
love him. It is not for his power and wisdom 
only, but their union with his moral perfections, 
constituting him the perfect being that he is. As 
the sun is the fountain of light and heat to our 
world, so is God the fountain of all excellence. 
It is because he is great and good, that the affec- 
tions of the converted soul are attracted to him. 

We love the beings and things around us in 
proportion as they reflect his glory. But when 
we ascend to him, we reach the source. As he 
reflects glory upon no other, we are bound to 
love him for what he is in himself The pious 
heart, adoring, dwells upon his excellence. So, 
also, it is the excellence of divine things which 
attracts the affections of the converted soul. 



56 THE AVAY OF PEACE. 

Many persons deceive themselves, by not 
properly distinguishing the nature of their re- 
ligious affections, whence they rise, and on what 
they rest. There are many things connected 
with religion which may interest and please a 
worldly mind, and may, in some instances, lead 
to the belief that we love religion itself, when 
there is no love felt for the excellence of divine 
things, but only the dress in which they are 
presented. A fine church, an intelligent and 
wealthy congregation, and the mere circumstance 
and pomp of worship, may attract the worldly 
mind. Choice music, or an intellectual display 
from the pulpit, or a wish to be esteemed reli- 
gious by others, have a powerful influence over 
men, and often prove to them the most attrac- 
tive features of religious worship. It nee^s no 
spiritual renovation to feel an interest in these 
things. Their appeal is to natural taste or 
pride. 

But it is a very different thing to love the 
worship of God because the soul loves to com- 
mune with him in the sanctuary, and at the 
communion-table, and loves the holiness which 
this worship represents. None but a heart spir- 
itually renewed can feel this love. It is one 
which finds equal pleasure in communing with 
God in the closet. It loves holiness for its own 
sake. It passes by all that is merely external, 



LOVE OF DIVINE THINGS. 57 

to fix itself on those qualities which bear a 
moral resemblance to Jehovah. It is true reli- 
gion of the heart, in distinction from formality. 
Does this affection exist in you? Is the 
pleasure which you feel in divine things that 
which springs from their real excellence? If so, 
your peace is genuine. It is based on a good 
foundation. It is not the peace of the hypocrite, 
but of one whose faith and hope rest on God, 
and whose joy no man taketh away. 



THE THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS OF THE RENEWED ^HND, SPIRITUAL. 

The mind is the fountain of thought. It 
gives birth to the creations of the intellect, with 
a rapidity of which we are unconscious. It is 
the thinking agent ; and the thoughts to which 
it gives rise, flow forth from it as naturally as 
water from a living spring. These thoughts in- 
dicate the character of the mind, on the same 
principle that the fruit does the nature of the 
tree. 

Minds are distinguished by their different 
qualities and modes of thought. Those which 
resemble each other in natural endowment, may 
yet be very unlike. They may be naturally 
susceptible to the same emotions, but differ as 
to that which gives character and individuality 
to each. He whose thoughts are profound, and 
are directed to a high and noble end, is very 
different, in our estimation, from one whose 
thoughts are low, grovelling, and sensual. One 
whose thoughts express an uncommon original- 

08 



SPIRITUAL THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS. 59 

ity, or power, or flow forth in poetry or elo- 
quence of a high order, we regard as a man of 
genius. He has very different qualities of mind 
from one less gifted, or who has enjoyed less 
intellectual culture, and the whole range of 
whose thoughts includes only the simple inqui- 
ries, What shall I eat, what shall I drink, and 
wherewithal shall I be clothed ? 

The poet and the philosopher give such dif- 
ferent directions to their thoughts, that they 
may be said to live in different worlds, each OC' 
cupying a sphere peculiarly its own. The vo- 
tary of sensual pleasure differs from them both. 
The world in which he lives is sensual; and his 
mind is ever active in devising new modes of 
self-gratification, or meditating on his old pleas- 
ures, and acting them over again in his memory, 
to gather from them, through the aid of fancy, 
new and fresh enjoyment. But when the gov- 
erning affection of the mind is changed, and 
God becomes enthroned in it, this change devel- 
ops itself in the thoughts. These become spirit- 
ual and holy, and flow forth from such a mxind 
as naturally as worldly and sensual ones did be- 
fore. This constitutes a test of character, of 
great value to all w^ho would know what man- 
ner of spirit they are of. 

It is the proper mark of a regenerate mind, 
that holy thoughts naturally flow from it ; ancj 



60 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

that true piety, in such a mind, is as a living 
fountain which sends forth its pure and perpet- 
ual streams. Holy thoughts rise spontaneously 
there. The spiritual mind is naturally filled 
with pleasant thoughts of God and of divine 
things. They come of themselves. In the 
morning, at noon, throughout the day, and dur- 
ing the waking hours of night, they turn to 
God, the object of supreme affection, in holy 
delight, as readily as the needle to the pole. 
The spiritual mind finds its chief happiness in 
meditation on God, and in doing his holy will. 
It regards the world, and its objects of ambition 
and pleasure, as subordinate, while it exalts Je- 
hovah upon the throne as the glorious object of 
affection, towards whom the soul in love is 
sweetly drawn. 

Those are voluntary thoughts which rise of 
their own accord in the mind. Where the su- 
preme affection is covetousness, the thoughts 
spontaneously follow its lead. Where sensual 
pleasure, or any other form of worldliness, is 
chiefly desired and sought, the thoughts, as from 
a fountain of sensuality within, rise of them- 
selves towards the objects in which they find the 
most delight. So in the mind which supremely 
delights in God, the thoughts rise to him of 
their own accord. They cluster around spiritual 
things, because they delight in them : as the 



SPIRITUAL THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS. 61 

thoughts of the sensual dwell on the object 
which they most love to contemplate. And 
yet, they are not perfectly holy, but are inter- 
mingled with others which are sinful. The con- 
verted mind, by reason of its old associations, old 
habits, and of its connection with the body whose 
corrupting influence is ever exerted on it, 
does not, at once, reach a perfect state, or one 
of sinless perfection. Its holy thoughts are 
mingled with sinful ones, and its operations are 
of a mixed nature. Hence the difliculty of dis- 
criminating the affections of the spiritual, from 
those of the carnal mind, especially when the 
former are cold and languid. It becomes neces- 
sary, therefore, carefully to observe the distinc- 
tive marks of these two classes of affection. 
Were the converted mind perfectly holy, and in- 
capable of giving rise to a sinful thought, as the 
carnal mind is sinful, and incapable of a holy 
thought, it would be easy to make this discrimi- 
nation. But, now, it is often quite difficult. 
Hence it is necessary carefully to inquire into 
the nature of that affection which assumes to 
be love to God, to discriminate it from that love 
which is merely selfish, and is the natural fruit 
of the unregenerate mind. 

Where the affections are of a mixed charac- 
ter, it is necessary to observe their quality, rather 
than the height to which they are raised. A 



62 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

love of God, for his intrinsic excellence, is a 
holy affection, and indicates true conversion in 
all in whom it dwells. But it may not rise to 
such height, or seem to be so influential, as that 
counterfeit affection which endures for a season, 
and in time of temptation falls away. So also 
it is important to distinguish the nature of the 
thoughts, and to ascertain the source from 
whence they spring. The unconverted mind is 
fiusceptible to the exercise of thoughts which 
bear the form and semblance of those which are 
the fruit of the Spirit, and which tend to de- 
ceive even the most careful judges. It is char- 
acteristic of such thoughts, that they spring 
from temporary causes, and cease so soon as 
that which occasioned them passes aw\ny. 

^' The thoughts of spiritual things," says Dr. 
Owen, " are, with many,^s guests that come into 
an inn, and not like children that dwell in the 
house ; they enter occasionally, and there is a 
great ado to provide proper entertainment for 
them ; presently they depart, and are not look- 
ed or inquired after any more ; things of another 
nature are attended to, and new occasions bring 
in new guests for a season ; but children are 
owned in the house, are missed if they are out 
of the waVj and daily provision is made for 
them. So it is with those occasional thoughts 
about spiritual things ; by one means or another 



SPIRITUAL THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS. 63 

they enter the mind, and are there entertained 
for a season ; on a sudden they depart, and 
men hear of them no more. But those that are 
genuine and natural, arising from a loving, in- 
ternal spring, they dispose the mind to them, 
and are as the children of a house ; they are 
expected at their places and seasons, and if they 
are missing, they are inquired after ; the soul 
calls itself to account, whence it is that it has 
been so long without them, and summons them 
to its wonted converse and fellowship." 

Those religious thoughts which are temporary, 
and give no decisive evidence of the spiritual 
mind, chiefly arise from conviction. One who 
is a sinner may be compelled to think on reli- 
gious things, by the inward force which is laid 
on his spirit ; and he may be led to fancy that 
his mind has taken a religious turn, and is truly 
converted, when it is only a sense of his expos- 
edness to danger, and his need of religion, that 
wakens his serious reflections ; and when, if the 
pressure were removed, his thoughts would 
continue to flow in their accustomed channel. 
Many have fancied themselves converted per- 
sons, who have never known any other state 
of mind than that of one awakened, in which 
there is a desire expressed to be a Christian, 
and, perhaps, a purpose formed to serve God. 
This awakened state is sufficient of itself to pro* 



64 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

duce serious thoughts. But like the seed sown 
on rocky ground, such thoughts endure only 
for a time ; but when the sun is up, or there is 
a change in the religious feeling of the commu- 
nity, they vanish away. 

Of the same nature are the religious thoughts 
awakened on a sick-bed. The pressure of 
the occasion excites them, and when this is re- 
moved they die out of themselves. ^^ When he 
slew them, " says the Psalmist, ^^ then they 
sought him, and they turned and inquired early 
after God ; and they remembered that God was 
their rock, and the high God their Eedeemer ; 
nevertheless they did but flatter him with their 
mouths, and they lied unto him with their 
tongues, for their heart was not right with him, 
neither were they steadfast in his covenant.'^ 
This explains how it is that many persons who 
profess conversion on a sick-bed, and recover 
their health afterward, show, by their conduct, 
that all their serious thoughts of God arose from 
temporary causes, and had no foundation in a 
renewed mind. 

The same is true of those religious thoughts 
which affliction occasions. It is common to re- 
gard one's self as made spiritually better in con- 
sequence of the sadness occasioned for a time 
by the illness and death of friends. In view 
of such providences, many form a purpose to 



SPIRITUAL THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS. 65 

seek after God, and trust in it, as if it were 
something pleasing to Jehovah. They thus 
maintain a kind of seriousness till a change of 
scene bears their thoughts in other directions, 
and the world again resumes its complete ascend- 
ency over them. 

Sometimes a solemn discourse from the pul- 
pit will produce the same eifect. It will awaken 
a momentary seriousness, which will presently 
pass away like the fleeting shadow of a cloud 
moving upon the earth. Sometimes a revival of 
religion, in which Christians are awakened, and 
the impenitent converted, will excite serious 
thoughts in many religious professors who are 
destitute of a renewed heart, and are only 
hypocrites in the Church, and lead them to 
feel a kind of pleasure in the work of God, 
which is in progress around them ; and they 
may even manifest a spirit of engagedness for a 
time, till the cause which inspired it is removed, 
and then return to the same cold and dead 
state in which they were before. There is an 
internal conviction of their own unfaithfulness 
thus occasioned, which will draw out in serious 
reflections the thoughts of many who have no 
pleasure in spiritual things, but are influenced 
only by the occasion which excites them. 

*' Convictions," says Owen, *'put a kind of 
force upon the mind, or cause it to act contrary 
5 



6(j THE WAY OF PEACE. 

to its habitual inclinations. It is the nature of 
water to descend. But apply an instrument that 
shall compress it, it will fly upwards vehe- 
mently, as if that were its natural motion ; but 
as soon as the force of the impression ceaseth, 
it returns immediately, descending towards its 
centre : so it is with men's thoughts, they are 
earthly, their motion is downwards to the earth, 
and the things thereof ; but when any powerful 
conviction presseth on the mind, it forceth the 
egress of the thoughts upwards to heavenly 
things, and the soul wdll think much and fre- 
quently of them, as if that was its proper motion 
and course ; but as soon as the power of convic- 
tion wears off, the thoughts return again to their 
old course as the waters tend downward." 

^' Water that flow^eth from a living spring," 
says the same excellent author, ^' runs equally 
and constantly, unless obstructed or diverted ; 
but that which is from thunder-showers runs 
furiously for a season, and is quickly dried up : so 
are those spiritual thoughts which arise from a 
prevalent internal principle of grace, they are 
even and constant, unless interrupted for a sea- 
son by temptation ; but those which are excited 
by the thunder of conviction, however their 
streams may be filled for a season, they quickly 
dry up and utterly decay." 

These illustrations show the difference between 



SPIRITUAL THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS. 67 

those spiritual thoughts which arise from mere 
temporary causes, and are often mistaken for 
the fruits of the Spirit, from those which flow 
from the truly converted or spiritual mind. The 
one are involuntary, and arise from the pressure 
of causes which are temporary; the others are 
the voluntary and natural operations of the mind 
that supremely delights in God. Their flow is 
constant; but, in the present imperfection of our 
spiritual nature, may not be uniform. The living 
spring may be so affected by the drought, as, at 
times, to send forth onl}^ a very small rill ; but 
still it is a living spring. So the spiritual mind 
may be so affected by temptations and other 
worldly causes pressing upon it, and drawing off 
its thoughts, as to produce but few and insigni- 
ficant fruits of grace. But still God is enthroned 
in that mind ; and, so soon as the pressure of 
worldly temptation is removed, the stream of its 
affections will swell to its natural size. 

TTie thoughts indicate the nature of the affec- 
tions, and show whether the mind supremelj^ de- 
lights itself in God, and is a spiritual, holy mind, 
or the reverse. It is through the thoughts that 
the affections discover themselves. But these 
are but one class of the operations of the spi- 
ritual mind which show its true nature. The 
desires flow" forth in the thoughts expressed, in 
the actings of the memory, and in the volitions. 



68 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

all of which partake of the quality of the foun- 
tain from whence they flow. 

The operations of the mind, therefore, need 
to be carefully scrutinized by one who would 
acquaint himself with his true spiritual state. It 
is important to observe whether sensual and 
worldly thoughts are the natural and constant 
product of that mind, and religious ones those 
which are created by a temporary pressure of 
conviction ; or whether spiritual thoughts and 
holy desires are the natural fruit of the mind, 
interrupted only by temptations and the indwell- 
ing of corruption, in a heart partiallj'- sanctified. 

There is an inward complacence in divine 
things felt in prayer and in communion with 
God, which indicates a truly spiritual mind. 
Eeligious duties are loved for the pleasure which 
the contemplation of divine things imparts. 
The mind is not forced to their performance, but 
turns to them naturally. It is not like a bow 
drawn, which flies back when the arrow leaves 
the string ; but it continues to dwell on heavenly 
things because it loves them. It feeds with 
delight on the sweet and heavenly thoughts of 
God which praj^er awakens, and finds in them 
its highest pleasure. The heart, like a living 
fountain, continues to send forth its pure and 
holy streams. It thirsts no more after the sin- 
ful delights which it once coveted. There is 



SPIRITUAL THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS. 69 

enough in God to satisfy the cravings of its 
boundless desires ; and when he fills the mind, 
all thirst after earthly pleasures is gone. 

Of what character then are your thoughts? 
In what channel do they flow ? To what objects 
do they most naturally tend ? In what do they 
find the most pleasure ? What evidence do 3^ou 
discover in the nature of your thoughts, that 
you possess that spiritual mind which is the 
abode of peace? Examine yourself by this 
test, and let not the world deceive you. You 
wish to know whether there is laid in j^our soul 
a foundation for true peace. For if you are 
deceived on this point, it will be in vain to 
instruct you how to live so as to continue in its 
enjoyment. Be sure that you have truly entered 
the way of peace through Christ, the door ; for 
no mere semblance of religion will impart that 
spiritual joy and that future blessedness which 
you so earnestly desire. The joy of the hypo- 
crite may rise like a sudden flash of light, and 
as quickly expire; and then it will leave the 
soul in darkness. But the joy of one who is 
truly born of God, will be ^'like the rising 
light, which shineth more and more unto the 
perfect day." 



AN ASSURED BELIEF IN THE CERTAINTY OF SPIRITUAL THINGS, ARISING 
FROM THEIR DIVINE COMMUNICATION TO THE SOUL, A DISTIN- 
GUISHING FEATURE OF TRUE PIETY. 

The mind in its natural state knows nothing 
of true religion, excepting by its external evi- 
dences ; the Christian knows it by his own 
experience. He who has never felt its power 
on the heart, forms his opinion of it from the 
facts and evidences set before him ; but the 
Christian has the witness in himself; he has the 
consciousness of those spiritual affections in his 
soul, in which it essentially consists. Though 
he who has no such affections may judge cor- 
rectly of the evidences to the truth and inspira- 
tion of the Bible, which are merely of an histor- 
ical or argumentative nature, yet, as it respects 
the spiritual affections of the converted soul, he 
is wholly in the dark. He can form no proper 
conception of that love to God which is com- 
menced in that soul, for he has had no experi- 
ence of it. 

The carnal and spiritual minds are controlled 

70 



AN ASSURED FAITH. 71 

by different and opposite moral affections ; the 
one by supreme love of self, the other by su- 
preme love to God. The one loves the world, 
and even God himself, as the means of his own 
happiness ; the other loves God for his excel- 
lence, and brings every thing in the world into 
subordination to this love. Two minds, though 
equally endowed by nature, may yet be widely 
different : the one may be under the supreme 
control of selfish and unholy affections ; the 
other, under the control of supreme love to God; 
and this love may extend its influence down, to 
bring into control, and subject to the will of God, 
every thought, affection, and volition of the 
mind. 

Our Saviour uses one of the strongest meta- 
phors to describe the change of heart which oc- 
casions this diversity, when he says, '^ Except 
a man be born again, he cannot enter into the 
kingdom of God." The mind thus changed 
comes into the knowledge of spiritual religion 
by its own experience, and thus acquires a cer- 
tainty of belief respecting it, which no argu- 
ment of the skeptic can ever shake. In addition 
to miracles, prophecy, and other external evi- 
dences common to men, it has the knowledge, 
derived from its own experience, that what the 
Bible teaches respecting the spiritual affections 
of the converted soul, is true. 



72 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

He who has experienced this moral renova- 
tion, feels an assurance of the certainty of divine 
things which no other person can. That love 
to God which he now feels, removes all his pre- 
judices, solves his doubts, and enables him to see 
clearly what he did not before perceive. No 
sooner is he converted, than he is ready to ex- 
claim, ^' One thing I know, that whereas I was 
blind, now I see." No sooner does God possess 
the heart, than truth flashes on the intellect. 
Few, comparatively, have ample opportunity to 
investigate the evidences of the Chris trian reli- 
gion as they are emblazoned on the historic page. 
There are few whom an ingenious skeptic may 
not puzzle by the objections which he can raise. 
And if it depended on external evidence alone 
whether the Bible should be received, many 
would find no solid ground on which to rest 
their hope. 

But the external evidences of religion, though 
invaluable in their place, are not those which 
excite in the Christian the firmest and most 
abiding conviction of the certainty of divine 
things ; but it is the knowledge which he gains 
of them by his own experience. There are 
many who love Christ, who are ignorant of any 
book but the Bible ; and many have suffered 
martyrdom for their religion, who have had no 
knowledge of the historical evidences of the truth 



AN ASSURED FAITH. 73 

of the sacred Scriptures ; and yet they have 
died in the full assurance of their truth, because 
this truth was attested by their own experience. 

To the converted mind, there is imparted a 
power of spiritual discernment through which 
it makes the discovery of God's glory, and sees 
in him a moral beauty which it never perceived 
before. But now the spiritual eye is opened. 
Love to God, reigning within, leads to the dis- 
covery of his excellence. God thus communi- 
cates himself to such a mind. It is such a rev- 
elation as is described by the apostle when he 
says, ^* For God who commanded light to shine 
out of darkness, hath shined into our hearts, 
give the light of the knowledge of the glory of 
God in the face of Jesus Christ." In the soul 
that is born of God, there is a perception of 
spiritual things, and a sight and enjoyment of 
them, which is real and substantial. It is as if 
one were introduced, by conversion, into a new 
world. The Christian no more doubts the cer- 
tainty of those spiritual realities with which he 
is conversant, than he does the objects of his 
natural vision. He knows them by his own ex- 
perience. 

These are as real to him as his own existence. 
And it is in view of this, that the soul feels an 
assured certainty of them. What we know 
through our senses, we cannot doubt j and what 



74 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

we know by our own consciousness, is equally 
real and substantial. The thoughts and affec- 
tions of the mind have as real an existence as 
the trees and the mountains. They are affec- 
tions of the spiritual nature ; but they are not, 
on that account, less worthy of our confidence. 
Love to God as truly exists in the converted 
soul, and may be shown to exist there, with as 
much certainty, as any material object can be 
proved to have an existence. Because it is an 
affection of the mind, it is not, therefore, a nul- 
lity. Life or death, in the case of the mur- 
derer, turns on the proof of his having been 
governed by malice, in taking human life. Mal- 
ice may as readily be proved, as the existence 
of a river, or a hill. So may the affections of 
the converted soul. It is the reality of these af- 
fections which produces a conviction of their 
certainty. It requires no volumes of human 
lore to convince a Christian that the religion of 
the Bible is true ; for he knows it from a higher 
source. No infidel objections can ever shake 
his faith ; for it is not founded in books, but in 
what he knows from his own consciousness of 
the love of God shed abroad in his heart. He 
believes, therefore, with certain assurance. 
*^ Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and 
he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit." 
This certain assurance springs from the divine 



AN ASSURED FAITH. 75 

comiiumications to the soul. Thus our Saviour 
said, ^^Thou hast hid these things from the 
wise and prudent, and hast revealed them 
unto babes." ** This is the will of him who 
sent me, that every one that seeth the Son and 
believeth, may have everlasting life." '* Flesh 
and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my 
Father which is in heaven." True faith is not 
an operation of the intellect only, but springs 
from the heart. Satan may give an intellectual 
assent to the truth, and yet hate the God of truth. 
But faith is the confidence of the soul reposed 
in God, as one supremely loved. It is this con- 
fiding spirit which brings the Christian into a 
nearness to God, and to look up to him with the 
humble and submissive temper of a little child. 
This faith springs from the heart, and is distinc- 
tive in its character. It is the fruit of that gra- 
cious operation by which God reveals himself 
in love to those who love him, and their minds 
are invested with a spiritual discernment of his 
excellence and glory. 

This faith is accompanied with a practical as- 
surance that God exercises a wise and holy 
providence over the world. One may believe 
in the truth of religion, in consequence of hav- 
ing been religiously educated. But the Chris- 
tian's belief springs from his own experience of 
that new heart in which religion consists. It is 



76 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

thus that a conviction of the reality of divine * 
things is produced on the mind, which is fully 
equivalent to knowledge ; so that Paul, in view 
of Christ revealed to him, could say, *' I know 
in whom I have believed ;" and Job, " I know 
that my Eedeemer liveth.'^ 

But of this source of knowledge the natural 
mind is destitute. In a certain sense, it believes 
in God ; but its faith is that which is common 
to fallen spirits, who ^* believe and tremble." 
There is no foundation of an assured faith laid 
in such a mind. It has had no experience of 
that love to God which is the characteristic af- 
fection of the true Christian ; and it does not 
therefore apprehend the reality of divine things 
with such jan entire certainty. Its faith lacks 
the chief element of true Christian faith, an affec- 
tionate confidence in God awakened by the expe- 
rience of his love. It may therefore be subverted 
and overthrown by the arguments of the skep- 
tic. But the Christian's faith is that assured 
confidence in God, as supremely loved, which 
is the result of a spiritual change in the soul 
itself, is gained by consciousness, and has all the 
certainty of knowledge. 

Accompanying this faith, as the production 
of grace, is true humility. The natural tendency 
of God's communication of himself to the mind, 
is to awaken in it a deep sense of un worthiness. 



AN ASSURED FAITH. 77 

Eepentance is characteristic of the renewed soul. 
It views sin as a wrong and injury done to 
God, grieves over it on this account, and turns 
from it with holy sorrow, and with a full pur- 
pose, and endeavor, to sin no more. But the 
natural mind has no such feeling. It may be 
sensible, at times, of disgust felt for the pleasures 
of the world ; it may fear to commit outbreaking 
and disgraceful sin, and tremble in view of dan- 
ger, but it knows nothing of true repentance. 
It has no proper sense of sin as committed against 
one who is supremely loved. It knows by its 
experience no inward loathing of it, because it' 
is hateful to God. Yet this is the state of mind 
of all who are truly converted. It is a real 
affection ; not fancy, but fact. And it is the 
existence of this feeling in the Christian's soul, 
which imparts to him the assurance of its cer- 
tain possession. 

Of supreme love to God, also, the natural 
mind knows nothing by experience. One may 
feel a kind of pleasure in God, regarded as good ^ 
to him, and the instrument of promoting his 
happiness ; but this is not true love. This re- 
gards him for what he is in himself, and for his 
own intrinsic excellence. None but the Chris- 
tian has ever experienced this love. It is char- 
acteristic of the converted soul only. And this 
affection is as real as is the soul itself. 



78 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

Hope is also associated with faith. It is the 
anticipation of future blessedness. It is founded 
on the veracity of God, and is kindled in the 
soul through its experience of pardon, and in 
view of the evidences of its divine acceptance. 
It strikes its roots deep into Christian experience, 
and is a reality of which one is as conscious, as 
of any other affection of the renovated mind. 

Joy rises from the perception of God as an 
excellent and glorious being, and as honored 
and loved. It is love to him arising from the 
view of his excellence, accompanied with the 
communications of his grace to the soul which 
wakens joy ; and this also is a real emotion, un- 
known to the carnal or unconverted mind. This, 
and all the Christian graces which have been 
enumerated, are the effects of the divine commu- 
nication. They are real affections of the renewed 
mind. They flow forth from such a mind, in 
holy exercise, as naturally as water from the 
crystal spring ; and they develop the character 
^ of the Christian as very different from that of the 
unrenewed man. 

The natural mind has no such affections ; 
nothing of this kind on which to establish a 
conviction of the certainty of divine things, or 
of that belief which is equivalent. It hos no 
such knowledge, and consequently no such as- 
sured belief God in his glorious excellence has 



AN ASSURED FAITH. 79 

never been communicated to that mind as the 
object of faith ; nor has it any spiritual dis- 
cernment of him as supremely loved. How- 
ever clear its perceptions of truth in natural 
science, yet nothing but darkness reigns in it, 
as to the nature and excellence of true religion. 
Its spiritual eye has never been opened; Its 
affections have never risen to God. It is out of 
the circle of divine knowledge, and, in its judg- 
ments respecting spiritual things, is like a blind 
man beating the air. So ignorant, blind, and 
dark is the natural mind, as to spiritual things, 
as to be absolutely incapable of perceiving them. 
For ^' the natural man receiveth not the things or 
the Spirit of God, neither can he know them, 
because they are spiritually discerned." 

But in the Christian, a new and holy princi- 
ple is developed. ^' The life that I now live in 
the flesh, I live by faith of the Son of God," is 
the testimony of the converted Paul. There is 
a new and lively confidence felt in God, as the 
object of supreme affection ; and a conviction 
of the absolute certainty of divine things which 
nothing can ever disturb, produced by the ex- 
perience of the love of God, and inspiring a 
life of holy obedience. This faith is a deep, 
abiding, and influential principle, which controls 
the whole man. He who has it, cannot fail 
to manifest it. He will treat God, his word, his 



'80 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

ordinances, and his revealed truth, as worthy of 
entire confidence. It is around religion that 
his thoughts, desires, and volitions will natural- 
ly cluster. Nor can the principles which have 
now been set forth dwell in any mind, and not 
subordinate it, with all its affections, to the will 
of God. 

Here we reach a practical test which is appli- 
cable to the development of our own character. 
Have we this abiding faith, which is thus influ- 
ential upon the life? Is God first and chief in 
our affections ; and have the world, and all its 
pursuits and pleasures, assumed their appro- 
priate place, as subordinate objects in our 
esteem ? Do j^ou know, by experience, that 
true religion which consists in a heart renewed 
and changed ? Do you. discover in the con- 
sciousness of right affections towards God, a sub- 
stantial ground for that conviction of the cer- 
tainty of divine things which leaves no doubt of 
their reality ? And how does this affect your 
life ? Do you habitually treat divine things as 
true, and as the most excellent of all human 
attainments ? Are you living under their influ- 
ence ? Is yours the life of faith, and of obedi- 
ence? If so, you have the evidence upon which 
you may confidently rely, that yours is that true 
peace which the Saviour gives to all who love 
him. 



OONFORMTTT TO THE SPIRIT AND TEMPER OF JESUS CHRIST A CHAR- 
ACTERISTIC MARK OF THE TRUE CHRISTIAN-. 

Jesus Christ is our example. When on earth, 
he was aflfected with the emotions and sympa- 
thies of our nature, but without sin. He re- 
sembled man in a state of holy innocence, and 
was a sample of what the Christian will become, 
when perfectly restored through grace. But 
there was a perfection in our Saviour which does 
not exist in the Christian, though the traits of 
his character are in kind the same. The Chris- 
tian is not perfect, as Christ was, but is in a 
state of transition. A new and spiritual life has 
begun in his soul, which will develop itself in 
complete sanctification. Christ could not feel 
repentance, having never sinned ; but this feel- 
ing is appropriate to the Christian. The resem- 
blance between our Saviour and the Christian, 
therefore, is such only as can exist between a 
perfectly holy being, and a sinner who earnestly 
longs to be thus holy. 

As it was the chief aim of Jesus Christ, in all 
6 «i 



82 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

that lie did, to please Grod, so is it the Christian's 
great endeavor. When our Saviour was but 
twelve years of age, he felt that he must *^be 
about his Father's business." It was his wish 
to do the will of his Father in heaven, and 
to finish his work. The habitual reference of 
his mind was to the divine will, as the rule of 
his actions ; and this is expressed in the summary 
of prayer given to his disciples : ^' Thy will be 
done on earth, as it is in heaven." The language 
of his soul in suffering was, ^' Even so, Father, 
for so it seemed good in thy sight." This emi- 
nent trait of character ever dwells in the Chris- 
tian. There can be no true religion in one who 
does not make it the chief motive of his ac- 
tions to please God. Devotion to his will does 
not rise so high in the Christian as it did in 
Christ ; but it is the same in kind. It is the 
same holy principle reigning within. It dis- 
tinguishes him from what he once was. For no 
man, while unconverted, ever acts from such a 
motive. It is the chief aim of one unconverted, 
to please himself; but of the Christian, to please 
his heavenly Father. And, in this respect, he 
resembles Christ. 

This supreme regard for God inspires a 
hatred of every thing displeasing to him. The 
Christian hates his own former disobedience, 
and the sins of his past life, and turns from 



CONFORMITY TO CHUIST's EXAMPLE. 83 

them in contrition. It is evident that the same 
holy principle reigns in him that dwelt in the 
Saviour ; that he loves the same duties, and 
hates the same sins that Christ does. His 
endeavors to please God may be accompanied 
with many imperfections, and he may often fail 
where he hoped better things ; but still it is the 
purpose of his mind, and the governing prin- 
ciple of his actions, to be guided by the di- 
vine will. The spirit of obedience is therefore 
the chief element of the Christian's character. 
In this respect, the disciple resembles the 
Master. 

As Christ was inspired by love to others, and 
a sincere desire to bless and save them, so also 
is the Christian. It was love to man which 
drew the Saviour from the skies, and led him to 
offer up his life a sacrifice for his redemption. 
To become to him the instrument of good, our 
Saviour cheerfully assumed the place of a suf- 
ferer. And the same virtue dwells in the Chris^ 
tian. It is the same in kind, though it rises not 
to equal perfection. The Christian loves to do 
good, and is governed by benevolence such as 
Christ felt. The missionary of the cross, who 
denies himself the privileges of civilized life, 
to toil and die in a foreign land, laboring to 
confer the blessings of the Gospel on others, is 
an imitator of Christ. The Christian, who has 



to 



84 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

the spirit of Christ, has that true benevolence 
which aims to do good everywhere. The idea 
of a selfish or covetous Christian is foreign to 
that spirit of true religion which leads one to 
lay himself and all that he has at the feet of 
Christ, and to feel that he lives not unto himself, 
but unto him who loved him and gave himself 
for him. True religion delights in a good 
action, because it reflects glory upon God. It 
aims not to be seen of men, but to approve 
itself unto our Father in heaven. Love to him 
governs all the actions. Hence, to feel like him, 
to be like him, and to act like him, becomes the 
disposition of the Christian. 

Not that, in the exercise of this benevolence, 
he is perfect, for he is in a state of transition ; and 
while passing from under the power of sin to 
complete sanctification, much that is impure and 
sinful is mingled with his best services. But 
it is the nature of the affection, not the height 
to which it is raised, which marks its resemblance 
to Christ ; it is not the value of the offering, but 
the heart which is disposed to confer it, which 
gives evidence of a true affection. Hence our 
Saviour said, that ^^ whosoever shall give a cup 
of cold water to a disciple in my name, shall not 
lose his reward." And the ground on which he 
bases the award of the final day, is the love to 
him manifested in acts of kindness and mercy 



CONFORMITY TO CHRIST'S EXAMPLE. 85 

to Others. ^^ Inasmucli as ye have done it unto 
one of the least of these my brethren, ye have 
done it unto me." 

But the benevolence of the carnal mind is 
not prompted by supreme regard to Jesus 
Christ, but by a principle of selfishness. It 
gives one a better opinion of himself, or wakens 
this opinion in the minds of others, for him to 
be Kberal ; or, there is a natural generosity of 
temper which is gratified, or an inward satisfac- 
tion awakened, in doing a good action. Gov- 
erned by motives of selfishness, men will run 
great risks of life to secure worldly riches, and 
win popular applause. But the glory of God is 
not the motive which inspires them. Many who 
are generous in their charities, are yet profane 
in their discourse, and open in their disregard 
of the law of God ; thus showing that their 
gifts have not been prompted by love to God ; 
and that they are not generous out of regard 
for him. as is the Christian. For he who 
loves the Saviour, is governed by his' will in the 
disposal of his wealth, as he is, also, in the use 
of the means to acquire it. And thus, resem- 
bling Christ in his -disposition, it becomes man- 
ifest to himself and others that he is his true 
disciple. 

A heart, adverse in its inclinations to the 
spirit and temper of the world, characterized 



86 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

our Saviour, as it also does those who love him. 
The worldly affections which chiefly control and 
govern unconverted men, had no influence upon 
Jesus Christ. He rose above such inferior mo- 
tives of action, and thus became an example to 
his disciples. 

The love of money is one of the strongest 
and most influential of human passions. What 
self-denial and toil have not been endured, and 
what crimes have not been committed by men, 
to enrich themselves? Often, the older they 
grow, the tighter they draw their purse-strings. 
Habit rivets their covetonsness upon them, and 
this habit is strengthened by age. But our 
Saviour manifested no such spirit. He had all 
the kingdoms of the world at his disposal, and 
yet he often hungered for food, which he had 
no means to purchase. It was a spirit of benev- 
olence, and not of covetousness, which governed 
him. And this is the spirit of his disciples. Their 
whole aim, in the acquisition of property, is to 
use it in a way to gain the approbation of 
Heaven, and to do good to those around them. 

Ambition is another trait of a worldly mind. 
To rise in the view of the world, and run a bril- 
liant and popular career, or to gain wealth and 
distinction, are objects to which the temper of 
the world leads men to aspire. But Jesus Christ 
could not be tempted in this way. He had no 



CONFORMITY TO CHRIST'S EXAMPLE. 87 

wish to gain human applause, but only to ap- 
prove himself unto God as faithful in the duties 
which he had assumed. In this respect, also, 
the Christian becomes an imitator of Christ. He 
leaves the paths of ambition to be trodden by 
others, who have no higher aim than such grov- 
elling pursuits, and seeks onlj^ to approve himself 
to his Master in heaven as a faithful servant. 

Neither pride, lust, nor revenge found any 
abode in the bosom of the pure and holy Jesus. 
He who was chief among the glorious beings in 
heaven, laid aside his crown, descended to earth, 
took upon him our nature, and, in the spirit of 
humility, went about doing good. No allure- 
ment of the carnal mind ever influenced him. 
When he hung upon the cross to die, his 
last breath was spent praying for his murder- 
ers. In all the affections of his mind, Christ 
was adverse to the spirit and temper of the 
world ; so is the Christian. He seeks no out- 
ward display, from a desire to attract the admi- 
ration and envy of others. He yields to no al- 
luring sins. He cherishes no malignant feelings. 
He is like Christ in his disposition, and has this 
evidence, that he is truly born of the Holy 
Spirit. 

A holy and heavenly frame of rnind charac- 
terized our Saviour, as it does his followers. 
In all his conversation and actions, this spirit 



88 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

was manifested. He lived in communion with 
God, and under the influence of the spirit of 
prayer. Not a sin did he commit. No stain 
ever marked his character. He was holy, 
harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. 
Such also is the Christian. Though he falls far 
short of the perfection of his Master, yet he 
loves the same holiness, and presses on in the 
same path. His soul is filled with the most 
exalted and delightful thoughts of the divine 
excellence and glory. He loves to meditate 
upon it. He loves spiritual things. Heaven 
presents itself to him as a delightful place, 
because it is holy ; and there his affections centre, 
because God is there. 

Thus the Christian ever bears a moral resem- 
blance to Christ. The same holy temper reigns 
within him, and the same love and obedience. 
And this fact may enable you to discern whether 
or not you are a Christian. Does this spirit 
dwell in you? For *4f any man have not 
the spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Does the 
spirit of true benevolence inspire your actions ? 
Are your desires adverse to the temper of 
the world ? Have ambition, lust, and revenge 
no influence over you, compared with the love 
of Christ ? Do you forgive even your enemies ? 
And is it the chief aim of your life to please 
God? Possessed of the same holy affections 



CONFORMITY TO CHRIST'S EXAMPLE. 89 

with Christ, do you aim in all things to do his 
holy will? Have you this evidence abiding in 
you, that you love him ? If so, the peace which 
Christ felt is yours, and in him you may rejoice, 
with joy that is unspeakable, and full of glory. 



OBEDIENCE TO GOD THE FRUIT OF DIVINE LOVE. 

Love to God in the heart is naturally devel- 
oped in the life. A holy action cannot spring 
from a malicious motive, nor a malicious one 
from a benevolent motive; but it is true in 
morals, as in horticulture, that the tree is 
known by its fruit. Holy affections are devel- 
oped in acts corresponding to their holy nature. 
It is never suspected that love to God gives rise 
to gross outward sins, but such sins are justly 
ascribed to the affections from whence they 
spring. It is not religion which leads men to 
live in the habitual neglect of religious duties, 
but its moral opposite. Spiritual and holy 
affections lead to corresponding acts. To this 
principle the apostle refers the case of Abraham, 
when he said, ^'Seest thou how faith wroug^ht 
with his works, and by his works was faith 
made perfect ?" The offering of his son Isaac 
proceeded from a principle of inward faith. So 
love to God invariably manifests itself in the 
life. 

90 



HOLY OBEDIENCE. 91 

The mind under the supreme control of 
love to God, is productive of very different 
fruit from that which is controlled and gov- 
erned by the opposite principle. The spiritual 
mind never legitimately gives birth to an act 
that is purely sinful, because its governing mo- 
tive is love ; and it cannot sin, because it is born 
of God. Nor can the selfish mind give birth to 
an act that is pure and holy. But there are 
actions of a mixed nature which spring up in the 
converted soul, and how are we to regard them ? 
This point is of great practical importance. How 
are we to explain the fact, that the purest and 
best actions of the Christian are imperfect, and 
mingled with sin ? 

One who is converted, has come into a state 
of supreme, but not of perfect love. That love 
is supreme, which loves God more than any 
other being in the universe ; that is perfect love, 
which loves him in perfect accordance with the 
full powers and faculties of the mind. Perfect 
love is the state of sinless beings in heaven. 
But supreme love is that of a soul converted. 
One comes by conversion into a state of supreme 
love, and presses on towards that which is per- 
fect. The Christian race lies between supreme 
and perfect love. ^^ Not as though I had already 
attained," said Paul, ^^ either were already per- 
fect ; but I follow after, if that I may apprehend 



92 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

that for which I am also apprehended of Jesus 
Christ. Brethren, I count not myself to have 
apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting 
the things which are behind, and reaching forth 
unto those which are before, I press toward the 
mark for the prize of the high calling of God in 
Jesus Christ." 

It does not follow that one is not converted 
because he is imperfect, and liable to temptation. 
Paul felt this imperfection when he said, ^' I find 
then a law in my members warring against the 
law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity 
to the law of sin which is in my members." 
And yet he could say, '' I delight in the law of 
the Lord after the inner man." The Bible repre- 
sents the life of the Christian as a warfare, a 
conflict, a struggle, a race. And this accords 
with all Christian experience. In the imperfect 
state of his spiritual affections, the Christian is 
liable to temptation and sin. How then do the 
spiritual affections of the converted mind manifest 
themselves ; and in what way may it be known 
that he is a real Christian ? 

The difference between the Christian and 
others is, that he brings forth, in his life, the 
fruits of true obedience. Amid his imperfec- 
tions, there are acts done which are pure, spirit- 
ual, and acceptable to God. He loves virtue for 
its own sake; and loves to do that which is 



HOLY OBEDIENCE. 93 

pleasing to his Father in heaven, and accordant 
with his holy will. In this, the true obedience 
of the spiritual mind consists. The Christian 
lives for God, and finds his highest happiness 
in doing the things which please him, delighting 
in such obedience. 

This conformity to God includes obedience to 
the Gospel, as the means of attaining that perfect 
holiness which is the end of redemption. The 
Gospel is only a means to an end. It is de- 
signed to bear the affections of the soul on to 
that state of perfect love and sinless obedience 
from which man originally fell. Consequently, 
it demands an essentially obedient spirit in all 
who are truly converted. Faith in Jesus Christ, 
restoring confidence in God, naturally brings the 
soul, with all its powers, into conformity to the 
divine will ; and it is its tendency to reclaim 
the soul, leading it to conflict with the world, 
and to overcome it, till that perfect state which 
has been described, shall be reached. 

The obedience of the Gospel is the same in 
kind as that rendered to the moral law. In 
both, God is acknowledged, and his will respect- 
ed. And it is this practical obedience which 
constitutes the proper fruit of the spiritual mind. 
It is the test of genuine conversion. True 
. obedience flows from right affections. It is not 
forced, but natural. Men may strive, at times, 



94 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

to fulfil their duties to God, when there is no 
true obedience. When conscience disturbs them, 
they may retire and pray ; or, when trembling 
in view of danger or death, they may, through 
fear, force themselves to the performance of acts 
which they hope will pass for true religion ; 
but, so soon as the inciting cause passes away, 
they will return to the world, and to their for- 
ge tfulness of God, because this state is the most 
natural to them. Thus Job asks respecting the 
hypocrite, ** Will he always call upon God ?" 
Implying that he will not do it ; for, though he 
may seek him for a time, yet he will presently 
neglect the duties of religion, for other pursuits 
more pleasing and delightful. 

Men, under conviction, may promptly observe 
their religious duties, to soothe their troubled 
minds, and not because they have any pleasure 
in them ; and, during a revival of religion, they 
may continue to pray. But when a short period 
shall have elapsed, they will be found indulg- 
ing their old pleasures, and again living to the- 
world. But, in true conversion, obedience is 
the natural state, and worldliness the exception. 
The Christian, in his imperfect state, may fall 
into temptation, and be led into departures from 
God ; but these are sins over which he mourns, 
and of which he repents so soon as discovered ; 
and the soul naturally and speedily falls into an 



HOLY OBEDIENCE. 95 

observance of the rules of the Gospel, as being 
the state most in accordance with that love to 
God by which it is governed. 

This is evident from the history of eminent 
saints. • Abraham believed God, and it was 
natural to him to obey ; yet he sinned. So 
also Moses and Aaron found their chief happi- 
ness in the service of Jehovah ; and yet they 
were excluded from the temporal Canaan, and 
not permitted to tread upon its soil, because they 
had transgressed against the Lord. David, as 
to the uniform tenor of his life, was obedient, 
delighting himself in God after the inner man ; 
but his dreadful fall showed that even his obe- 
dience was accompanied with sin. The same is 
true of Peter, who denied his Lord ; and of 
Paul. Yet the natural and habitual course of 
their lives was one of true obedience. Their 
sins were the exceptions to that spirit of obedi- 
ence which naturally controlled their actions. 

True obedience is habitual. This is evident 
from the remarks already made. Custom creates 
a habit ; and customary obedience renders the 
service of God natural and delightful. It is the 
natural desire of the converted mind to please 
God. This indicates, with entire certainty, the 
state of that mind as conformed in its spiritual 
affections to his holy will. Nor is it possible 
for any thing to take the place of this obedience 



96 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

as evidence of conversion, which shall be equal- 
ly satisfactory. 

Men's lips will often give expression to reli- 
gious conversation, and they will tell what great 
things they have felt, and what their peculiar 
frames of mind were at different times ; but this 
may be only a kind of religious talk which pro- 
ceeds from self-righteousness. But habitual obe- 
dience to God's commands is a much safer test. 
The lips may give a false coloring, but a holy 
life will never deceive. Such a life, as a test of 
conversion, is worth every thing besides. The 
habitual acts of the Christian indicate, both 
to ourselves and others, what manner of 
spirit we are of. Some who are most gifted in 
prayer, and excel others in the propriety and fit- 
ness of their expressions, being endowed with 
most excellent gifts, lack that holy living which 
is needed to give enforcement to what they say. 
One, whose heart is wholly given to covetous- 
ness, may possess gifts which seem to indicate 
the truly spiritual mind. But a life of grinding 
oppression towards the poor, of undue anxiety 
after the world, of stinginess towards benevolent 
objects, and of disregard for the principles of true 
benevolence set forth in the Gospel, is more cer- 
tain evidence of self-deception, than all the fine 
speeches and excellent prayers offered in public, 
are of true religion. Take what view of this 



HOLY OBEDIENCE. 97 

subject we maj^, we shall uniformly discover 
that habitual obedience to God is the great test 
of piety. 

Where it is as the fruit of true conversion, 
it is the end and aim of life. It is not only 
natural, flowing from right affections within, as 
the stream does from the fountain ; it is not only 
habitual, developing itself daily and constantly 
as a fruit of the Spirit, but it is the chief object 
of life. Compared with this obedience, every 
thing else sinks into insignificance. This is 
illustrated in the conduct of Daniel and the 
three children in Babylon. They refused to 
disobey God, even at the hazard of their lives. 
Thousands of Christian martyrs have had their 
piety tested in like manner. Their principle 
was, obedience to God at all hazards ; and, 
though these individuals may have been tempted 
and have sinned in other respects, yet, when 
the case was fairly set before them, and they 
were required, in the presence of thousands, to 
choose the alternative of disobedience to God or 
death, they chose the latter. This shows that 
they regarded it as the chief end of their being 
to obey God and live to his glory. And this is 
the end and aim of all true Christians. 

This spirit of obedience, developed in the life, 
constitutes the test of all true piety. One may 
be deceived as to his frames of feeling, when he 
7 



98 TliE WAY OF PEACK. 

cannot be deceived as to the tenor of his actions. 
Let him investigate all the transactions of his 
life, secret and open, those obvious to the world, 
and those which are known to himself only, and 
he cannot fail, from the habitual course of his 
life, correctly to deduce his own spiritual 
standing. 

And this obedience is the test of true piety, 
in the view of others. The world judge of the 
Christian by the habitual tenor of his life, more 
than any thing else ; and if his professions are 
good and his example bad ; if his conversation is 
heavenly, and his practice covetous and sin- 
ful ; if his prayers are fluent, and his habitual 
dealings are corrupt and oppressive ; if he appears 
as a saint, and, in the view of those who know 
him best, is destitute of a principle of integrity, 
the world will write him down a hypocrite, and 
their decision will be sustained in the high court 
of heaven's chancery. Hence the instructions 
of Christ, ^' by their fruits ye shall know them ;" 
and '^ the tree is known by its fruit." "Pure 
religion and undefiled before God and the Fa- 
ther is, to visit the fatherless and the widows 
in their affliction, and to keep oneself unspotted 
from the world." Ostensibly you area disciple 
of Christ. But does your life give evidence 
that you supremely love God? I do not 
ask whether you have sometimes been able to 



HOLY OBEDIENCE. 99 

force your thoughts up to an attentive observ- 
ance of religious duties, but whether, in the 
practical business of life, you manifest a spirit 
of true obedience ? 

Is this obedience natural ? Does it flow forth 
from the fountain within, as naturally as water 
from a living spring? Have you become so 
changed in heart, that what was once foreign to 
your mind and distasteful, has now become natu- 
ral ? Do your thoughts instinctively turn to the 
rules of the Gospel as your guide ; and does your 
mind rest in the will of God revealed, as your 
delightful duty ? There is a kind of religion 
which consists only in occasional and forced at- 
tempts at the performance of religious duties, 
while the natural flow of the affections from day 
to day is to the world, and the constant occupation 
of the mind is with worldly things. But this is 
the religion of the self-deceived. Spiritual affec- 
tions reigning within take the thoughts, desires, 
and actions all out of the channel in which they 
formerly flowed, and divert them into a new chan- 
nel. And, as the stream flows naturally and ea- 
sily from its fountain, so does this obedience 
flow from the spiritual affections which now 
assume control. Is this descriptive of your 
state ? I do not ask what are your professions 
or the fancies of your mind about religion, but 
do you delight in this practical obedience to God 



100 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

which is natural to tlie converted soul? Is it 
natural and easy for you to meditate on God, 
and do you love such holy meditations ? Is it 
natural, when the hour of worship comes, to 
present yourself before God in the attitude of 
prayer ? Do you feel that he is to be obeyed 
above every other consideration, and, in all the 
transactions of your life and in your pleasures, 
is God's holy will kept before 3^our mind as the 
delightful object of your reverence ? 

That obedience, which is the fruit of conver- 
sion, is habitual. A mere occasional regard for 
religious duties is no test of love to God, for it 
may spring from a momentary excitement. But 
it is different when it is habitual. It then shows 
the mind to be right with him. Are j^ou con- 
scious of this habitual tendency ? Is it 3^our 
constant endeavor to live a holy and a devoted 
life? 

This obedience is also the end and aim of life 
in all who supremely love God. Men have dif- 
ferent objects of which they are in pursuit, and 
they live to different ends. But it is the aim 
of the true Christian to please God in all things. 
Is it thus with you ? 

Many deceive themselves on this point. Many 
who profess religion live as the unbelieving 
world do. The evidence of their life is all 
against them. And where will they appear at 



HOLV OBEDIENCE. 101 

last ? I seem to see one who has thus lived to 
the world, advancing with trepidation to the 
celestial gate, and knocking there. He has come 
fresh from some midnight carousal, from the halls 
of mirth and revelry, or from behind his coun- 
ter, clutching in his hand the hard dollars which 
he was unwilling to leave behind ; I see him 
advance in haste, followed by the curses of the 
poor, the widow, and orphan whom he has 
oppressed; I see him, a prayerless man, sum- 
moned from amid a family whose spiritual in- 
terests he had neglected, while he sought the 
world. Suddenly called away from the active pur- 
suits of life, where religion had no place, he 
advances tremblingly, with terror depicted in 
his countenance, the excitement of the scene 
hardly allowing him time to think. He knocks, 
but there is no answer. He knocks again and 
again, and, when one from within demands a 
reason of the hope that is in him, he is speech- 
less. His thoughts recur to his life, and he finds 
no consolation in the review of its wasted 
hours. And while he reflects, conscience con- 
victs him ; terror fills his soul. And now the 
dreadful response is given, ^^ I never knew you, 
depart from me ;" and he sinks to rise no more. 
Do you ever think of a scene like this ? Have 
you the evidence, in a holy life, that your case 
will be different? Examine this point, with 



102 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

earnestness to know the truth. Take all the 
evidences which have been set before you, and, 
if you find them in yourself, then may you hope 
that you know, by experience, true religion. 
Peace will flow from this conviction, and joy be 
awakened in view of the fact that God is yours. 
Never can you know true peace till you find in 
yourself this living evidence. 



THE WAT OP HOLINESS THAT OF PEACE. 

The traveller who had been pursuing the 
road to death, has now turned from it into 
the narrow way that leadeth unto life. How 
can I communicate to those who have not known 
it by experience, the knowledge -of that calm 
delight which fills the soul of one who has just 
entered this way ? No tongue can describe the 
blessedness of that state in which sin is for- 
given, and God assumes that place in the affections 
of the mind which was once filled by the world, 
and the turbulent and conflicting waves of pas- 
sion have subsided into a calm repose. The 
thoughts, desires, and steps of him who has 
entered this way, are now directed towards 
heaven. He leaves his old companions, old pur- 
suits, and old habits, and begins to live anew. 
He seeks new friends and new enjoyments. He 
loves the society of Christians, and enters into 
covenant with them to serve God. All those 
characteristics of reconciliation to God, which 
have been described, he discovers in himself, 

103 



104 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

and the result of these evidences of the divine 
friendship is, to produce in the soul a firm and 
abiding peace. 

Here, in the way of holiness, the divine prom- 
ises meet him, and shed their blessed influence 
into his soul. Observe the nature of these prom- 
ises, and with what explicitness they set forth 
the assurance of God's mercy to all who obey 
him. *' Great peace have they who love thy 
law." '^Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace 
whose mind is stayed on thee." '' Mark the 
perfect man and behold the upright, for the end 
of that man is peace." ^' For, though the moun^ 
tains depart and the hills be removed, yet my 
kindness shall not depart from thee, nor the 
covenant of my peace, saith the Lord that hath 
mercy on thee." '' And the work of righteous- 
ness shall be peace, and the effect of righteous- 
ness, quietness and assurance forever." 

This peace is a fruit of the renovated and holy 
mind. *^ Therefore being justified by faith, we 
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus 
Christ." ^'Tobe spiritually-minded is life and 
peace." ''Peace I leave with you ; my peace 
I give unto you. Not as the world giveth, give 
I unto you." Our Saviour was called the 
*' Prince of Peace;" and his advent was heralded 
by angels, who sung over the plains of Bethle- 
hem and in the wondering shepherds' ears, '* On 



THE WAY OF HOLINESS. 105 

earth peace, and good will to men." *^ No 
weapon," said God by the mouth of his prophet 
to his church, " that is formed against thee 
shall prosper." " In a Uttle wrath I hid my 
face from thee for a moment, but with ever- 
lasting kindness will I gather thee." ''And a 
highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall 
be called the way of holiness; the unclean shall 
not pass over it ; but it shall be for those ; the 
wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err there- 
in. No lion shall be there, nor any venomous 
beast shall go up thereon ; it shall not be found 
there, but the righteous shall walk therein. And 
the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come 
to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon 
their heads ; they shall obtain joy and gladness, 
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." 

" Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, 
wasting and destruction within thy borders ; 
but thou shalt call thy walls salvation and thy 
gates praise. The sun shall be no more thy 
light by day ; neither for brightness shall the 
moon give light unto thee ; but the Lord shall 
be thine everlasting light, and thy God thy glo- 
ry. Thy sun shall no more go down, neither 
shall thy moon withdraw itself; for the Lord 
shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of 
thy mourning shall be ended." 

Such are the testimonies of the Scriptures as 



106 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

to the effect of righteousness upon the soul, in 
conferring peace. The way of holiness is the 
way of peace. Here it is that ^^ mercy and truth 
have met together, and righteousness and peace 
have kissed each other." The sinner, conscious 
of his moral ruin, and disturbed by anxious 
fears, comes to Jesus Christ, and through him 
enters the way of holy obedience, and then all 
his guilty fears depart. He reaches not a state 
of innocence, but of forgiveness, and this has 
the same effect as innocence in conferring peace. 
He now discovers that those sins which once 
troubled him, have been borne by the Saviour 
on the cross, and that, for the sake of the atoning 
sacrifice, they may be forgiven; and here, in Jesus 
Christ, is laid the foundation of his peace. Com- 
ing to Jesus by faith, he is introduced into the di- 
vine friendship. His soul through faith recovers 
the great element of obedience, which was lost in 
the apostasy, and he presses on towards heaven, 
renewed and happy. 

Behold him now in the King's highway, advan- 
cing towards the celestial city. He is assured 
that God is with him. Narrow and difficult as 
may be the path, yet he advances with a deter- 
mined spirit, and is calm and J03^ful amid 
his trials. He finds the yoke of Christ easy, 
and his burden light. There may be hills to 
climb, valleys to descend, and the path of 



THK WAY OF HOLINESS. 107 

humiliation to be trodden ; there may be sore 
conflicts with the adversary, and trials severe 
and terrible to be endured ; yet, amid these 
storms, there is peace. If evils afflict him, 
yet there are times when he may stand upon 
the delectable mountain, and gain a view of 
the distant city, the New Jerusalem, his ever- 
lasting rest. He may trace the narrow path 
of life descending into the vales and rising 
over the hills, till at length the faint and 
almost indistinguishable glory which illumines 
its termination, and where it rises to the ce- 
lestial abode of the saints, meets his eye, and 
kindles in his heart renewed emotions of joy. 

You, who are living to the world, may court 
its pleasures as the means of happiness ; you 
may join in the dance and delight in sen- 
sual gratifications, loving mirth and wine, as 
the chief sources of your enjoyment; but you 
forget the sting which these things leave be- 
hind. At the best, these pleasures are un- 
satisfying ; and, though oft repeated, occa- 
sion only fresh pangs of conscience. Nor 
do they confer on the immortal mind one ele- 
ment of real good. One hour of that peace 
which springs from the assurance of God's eternal 
love, more than outweighs them all. If there is a 
giant Despair and his gloomy prison, yet he is 
not to be feared by one who keeps in the King's 



108 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

highway. He can be encountered only by turn- 
ing from it. There are no such dangers to 
be feared by one who maintains a holy walk 
with God. And, before the Christian shall reach 
the termination of his journey, he shall enter the 
land of Beulah, that beautiful country, where 
the light never grows dim, where fruits and 
flowers abound, where there is to be enjoyed a 
foretaste of the celestial Paradise, and where the 
saints on earth refresh themselves, preparing to 
cross the deep river of Death. 

Rich are the blessings which are included in 
the gracious promises of the Bible. With them 
contrast the blessings which the world confers, 
and learn how small and insignificant these are. 
You may be dazzled by the world. Wealth 
may excite earnest desires. You may long for 
riches as the means of happiness. But view the 
man who, by unremitted efforts, has amassed a 
large estate. He has worn himself out in doing- 
it. He is now old. He is incapable of enjoying 
the wealth which he has accumulated, and knows 
not the luxury of using it to make others happy, 
or in doing good. His children live only to 
enjoy his riches, waiting impatiently for the old 
man's death. He sees, in fancy, his estate 
squandered, and strives to prevent it by the pro- 
visions of his will. But he can thus secure it 
only for one or two generations. 



THE WAY OF HOLINESS. 109 

He now wakes up to the importance of doing 
something effectual for his own happiness. He 
builds himself a magnificent house, lavishing 
thousands upon it; and when he has completed 
it, dies. This is the fatal termination of his 
career. How different is his condition from that 
of the poorest Christian who has ever left this 
world for glory ! He has no consolation in 
death, no hope. But the Christian is sustained 
and comforted by the promises of God, which 
come like celestial music to his soul. " When 
thou passest through the waters, I will be with 
thee ; and through the rivers, they shall not 
overflow thee." Precious promise ! How bless- 
ed is it to die with such rich assurance of God's 
almighty protection in that hour ! 

Would you enjoy this blessing ? Come, then, 
and walk with the Christian in the way of peace. 
It is a bright, a blessed way. Those who walk 
in it have joys which no man taketh from them. 
It is a way that conducts them to the pure and 
healthful abode of all who love God. And 
when you shall have reached that place of rest, 
your trials will be over ; you will have entered 
a world from whence sorrow and sighing shall 
flee away ; and where peace, sweet peace, like 
that which dwells in the heart of Jesus, shall 
for ever be yours. 



DANGERS IN THE WAY. 

It is natural to one who has found the way 
of peace, and begun to walk in it, to feel that 
his trials are over, when he has but just set out 
on the Christian pilgrimage. Instead of having 
escaped the temptations of the world, he has 
only begun to meet them on the field of battle. 
There are hindrances to the enjoyment of con- 
tinued peace, and dangers, against which it is 
important carefully to guard. 

One class of hindrances to the Christian's 
peace springs from the necessary connection of 
the body with the soul. It is useless to wander 
to a distance in search of the causes of spiritual 
darkness, when they exist in their full strength 
at home. It is natural that the body, which, up 
to the period of conversion, has been the servant 
of sin, should furnish the greatest of all obsta- 
cles to a truly spiritual and devoted mind ; the 
spiritual change in the soul is not attended with 
a corresponding change in the body. This con- 
tinues the same, and is only gradually aifected 

110 



DANGERS IX TEIE WAY. Ill 

by the constant influence which the spiritual 
mind exerts, to control its appetites and passions. 

Could the body, in conversion, be as suddenly 
changed as is the soul, and correspond in its na- 
ture with the renov^ated affections, it-would secure 
to the Christian many advantages, and remove 
muchof the danger which attends his future pro- 
gress in the way of peace. The Christian's warfare 
is to be waged with his own corrupt and sinful 
propensities ; and if there were no body to be 
kept under, and no pernicious habits to be over- 
come, the conflict would be comparatively light. 
But no sooner does one who has found peace 
come to appreciate the excellency of divine 
things, and long for complete conformity to God ; 
no sooner does he think that all his spiritual 
enemies are slain, and that his course hencefor- 
ward is one of joy at the triumph he has attain- 
ed, than he begins to find that his soul, with its 
spiritual affections, which would soar to God, is 
imprisoned in a corrupt and sinful body ; so that 
he is compelled with Paul to say, '^ wretched 
man that I am, who shall deliver me from the 
body of this death ?" 

God, through the Gospel, has made provision 
for the conversion and sanctification of the soul ; 
and, through the grave, for the complete purifi- 
cation of the body ; that the body and soul, uni- 
ted at the resurrection, may be fitted for endless 



112 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

enjoyment in the world of glory and blessed- 
ness. But, here, the Christian must bear around 
with him the body, whose tendencies are to 
corruption. And he must fight against these 
corruptions, ever struggling, and pressing on- 
ward, till he shall overcome and triumph in 
victory. 

One accustomed to the use of intoxicating 
drink, purposing to abandon it, may find peace 
in believing ; his affections may rise supremely 
to God. But his old habits have produced 
such an impression on the body, and have oc- 
casioned such an adaptation of it to his lusts, 
as to have fastened on it those tendencies which 
give power to temptation, even after conversion, 
and render a firm resistance necessary to a suc- 
cessful conflict. 

There are other habits of a sensual kind, which 
are of like nature. These sometimes become 
so strong as to demand a direct conflict, tending 
as they do to check the progress of the mind 
in holiness, and to destroy its spirituality. 
One great disadvantage respecting them is, that 
they have their seat in the man, and he bears 
them about with him wherever he goes. He 
cannot flee from them, for they dwell within. 
His only safe course is to resist them, and to 
form new and holy habits in the place of those 
which are sinful ; and thus gradually to conform 



DANGERS IN THE WAY. 113 

the body to the purified and holy desires of the 
soul. 

The lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eye, and 
the pride of life, all have an intimate relation 
to the body, springing as they do from its un- 
holy influence. When the heart 'is changed, 
therefore, its spiritual affections are brought into 
conflict with prevailing sinful habits, and are 
compelled to resist them. Many of the tempta- 
tions of the Christian, and hindrances to his 
spiritual advancement, spring from this source. 
The youthful Christian thinks his difficulties are 
at an end, when he has but just begun to en- 
counter them. He does not dream of the trials 
which are before him. He thinks that his heart, 
purified, will insure complete sanctification ; but 
does not know that this sanctification is only 
reached at the end of a desperate struggle. 

Most painful it is to one converted, to discover 
that the tendencies to sin are yet active, when 
he had thought them slain. Here it is that the 
first doubts arise of his own conversion. He 
finds these tendencies within, and unable to 
explain them in accordance with the fact of his 
conversion, he begins to doubt ; nor is it till he 
finds that in spite of them his mind still cleaves 
to spiritual things, that he ventures to conclude 
that he is a Christian. 

The only way to preserve his inward peace 
8 



114 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

is to meet these tendencies in the spirit of one 
who is determined to conquer them or die ; and 
to estabhsh habits which God will approve, in 
place of those which are sinful. Nothing is so 
important as for a young Christian to start right. 
If he lay the axe at the root of these sinful ten- 
dencies, and do not allow them to grow and gain 
the ascendency, then his course in life will be 
peaceful and happy. He will walk in the light 
of God's countenance, and go on his way to the 
end of his journey, an active, useful, and joyful 
Christian. But if he only check them for the 
present, and dally with the work of extermina- 
tion, they will spring up afresh, and will 
be thorns in his pathway, to give him many 
a painful wound, if not a fall. When God in- 
troduced the Israelites to the promised land, he 
commanded them utterly to drive out the 
heathen. But they Were so glad to find a place 
of rest, and it required so much self-sacrifice to 
obey the Lord, that they did not wholly drive 
them out; and, in consequence of this neglect, 
they suffered grievous temptations, and finally 
lost their privileges. So it is with the sinful 
tendencies of the body, if they are not at first 
subdued. They will spring up in their full strength 
at times when the Christian is not prepared to 
encounter them, and will often involve his soul 
in spiritual darkness. 



DANGERS IN THE WAY. 115 

It sometimes happens that one who means to 
be holy will reserve some liberty inconsistent 
with perfect obedience ; thus compromising 
principle for the sake of his own gratification. 
He leaves this door open for Satan to creep in 
and gain possession of his heart; and is in immi- 
nent danger of thus casting himself away. He 
goes on in life, sinning and repenting till his 
moral affections are disordered beyond the 
power of recovery, and he is ready to long for 
death to come and terminate his miseries. 

This is one of the chief sources of darkness 
and of apostasy. Often through the power of 
its remaining corruption does the soul mourn 
the hiding of Grod's countenance and the loss 
of its peace. The Christian aims to press on his 
way, but many are his haltings, many his sor- 
rows and tears, occasioned by his own neglect. 
When he would rise and commune with God, 
his thoughts are pulled back to earth; when he 
would do good, evil is present with him. Class 
all other sources of spiritual declension together, 
and they do not exert so pernicious an influ- 
ence upon the Christian, to destroy his inward 
peace, and induce spiritual darkness, as do these. 
Other sources of temptation are without, but these 
are within ; others may be escaped, but these 
cling to the man, dwell in his body, fasten on 
his soulj and are never separatd from him for one 



116 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

moment. It is indispensable to spiritual peace, 
therefore, that the young Christian should make 
a right beginning, and not only consecrate his 
soul to God, but aim to make his body a temple 
of the Holy Ghost. 

The allurements of the world constitute a 
source of danger to the Christian, and against 
them he must sedulously guard, if he would con- 
tinue in the enjoyment of peace. These make 
their appeal to the appetites and passions of the 
mind, and will prove successful in proportion to 
the hold which they are enabled to gain upon 
it. If the soul is in a state of elevated spiritual 
affection, and holy habits are strengthening there 
and sinful ones declining, worldly allurements 
will produce but a slight impression. But if the 
mind has already yielded to its sinful tendencies, 
if its communion with God is obstructed, and its 
spirituality has declined, then these allurements 
are in danger of making a strong appeal, and for 
a time leading off the soul into captivity. 

Worldly allurements are regarded and treated 
very differently when the soul is in a high state 
of religious culture, and its spiritual affections 
are elevated as in a revival of religion. It 
requires little effort then to persuade a Christian, 
who is eminent for his piety, and lives in com- 
munion with his Maker, to abstain from the ball- 
room, the midnight revel, and the haunts of 



DANGERS IN THE WAY. 117 

vice, where the name of God is blasphemed, and 
sin reigns, hohling its captives in complete and 
willing subjection to its thraldom. But it would 
not require much effort to persuade a man of 
the world, whose affections are enlisted in such 
pleasures, to seek their enjoyment. Nor would 
it be very difficult to induce a sensual and apos- 
tate Christian to join in such amusements. And 
there are some who wish to serve God, and the 
general habit of whose mind is to obey him, who, 
from dallying with the corrupt and sinful ten- 
dencies of their nature, are in such a state of 
mind that these allurements press upon them 
with great power, and are difficult to be resisted. 
A disposition to yield to worldly allurements 
is not evidence of a spiritual mind, but the re- 
verse ; and when one finds his heart inclining 
after worldly things, whicli he knows will not 
please God, he has reason to believe that all is 
not right within. It is preposterous to think 
that he can thus yield to the world, and yet en- 
joy peace. The only rule by which his peace 
can be preserved, is to do nothing but that 
which is pleasing to God, and fitted to advance 
the soul in holiness. Wherever there is a 
hankering after those worldly pleasures which 
others pursue, and an occasional indulgence in 
them, it is an indication that the sinful tenden- 
cies of the mind are not yet overcome, that the 



118 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

body still endangers the spirit ; and that it will 
not be long before that individual, unless 
brought to repentance and to change his course 
in life, will adhere to the formalities of religion, 
while his heart goeth after covetousness, or 
wholly abandon his religious profession. 

Yielding to worldly amusements casts an ob- 
stacle to the enjoyment of peace directly into 
the path, creating hindrances to advancement 
in the divine life which are many and great. 
What association have the worldly pleasures of 
the gay with the spirit of prayer and true de- 
votion ? And do not Christians often, by pur- 
suing these pleasures, bring themselves into a 
state of spiritual darkness, and banish peace 
from their souls? The proper distinction be- 
tween rational amusements consistent with true 
piety, and those of an opposite character, is, that 
whatever tends to interrupt the spiritual com- 
munion of the soul with God, or to encourage 
that which is sinful, ought never to be done. 
Whatever tends to produce thoughtlessness of 
spiritual things, and to encourage a neglect of 
them ; whatever tends to foster the corrupt 
tendencies of our nature, instead of promoting 
our perfect obedience to God, is injurious, and 
should be at once abandoned. The way to meet 
the allurements of the world is, for the Christian 
to plant his foot firmly within the line of what 



DANGERS IN THE WAY. 119 

he knows that God will be pleased with, and 
there to stand with the shield of faith and the 
helmet of salvation, contending manfully to 
the last against all the unholy influences which 
beset him. 

Another class of hindrances to peace arises 
from worldly business. Before conversion, man 
lives to himself only. He seeks his own world- 
ly advancement, and brings everything he can 
to bear on this alone. He does not inquire so 
much, what is pleasing to God, as what will 
soonest enrich himself. Habits of business are 
acquired, which are inconsistent with a supreme 
resrard of Jehovah and the strict observance of 
his law. And these it is exceedingly difficult to 
overcome. There are various species of petty 
dishonesty esteemed and practised by men which 
cannot stand the test of holy principle, and must 
be abandoned. There is danger that these will 
assume a sway over the converted mind, and 
that many of the habits created during a life of 
impenitence, will thoughtlessly be permitted to 
remain, to the destruction of true piety. 

A like danger arises from the way that busi- 
ness is pursued, and the neglect of spiritual du- 
ties to which it gives rise. One who is driven 
by his business, from his first waking moments 
till night, will not find time to read his Bible ; 
and, if he continue this course, will be liable to 



120 THK WAX OF PKACK. 

have his old habits control his religion, instead 
of his religion control his habits. One who has 
men in his employment, and who feels that every 
moment they abstain from labor will damage his 
business, is under a temptation,even when he has 
become a Christian, to hurry his hands off to work 
without prayer. From the force of long habit he 
is in danger, even after conversion, of pursuing 
the same course. 

The like danger threatens those who receive 
employment. They are exposed to neglect 
their religious duties, and hasten to their work 
before they lift their hearts to God in prayer. 
From the mode of conducting business, therefore, 
arise temptations to neglect the spiritual duties 
of religion, which often prove a serious detri- 
ment to the peace of the soul. Eeligion is thus 
reduced to a point of secondary importance, in 
the estimate of the mind. 

Misfortunes in business not unfrcquently drive 
the Christian from the source of his strength, 
and bring his soul into spiritual darkness. Those 
who are unfortunate feel that they must repair 
their losses, and they rush with renovated zeal into 
business, casting aside every other consideration. 
Then darkness ensues. It is impossible for one 
thus influenced to rise to a high state of religious 
enjoyment, or even preserve his peace. The 
only course to be pursued, if he would avoid the 



DANGERS IN THE WAY. 121 

danger, is to subject all his worldly concerns to 
his religious duties, and bring them into subor- 
ciiiation to the supreme love of God. The busi- 
ness of life must all be arranged with reference 
to Christian duty, and if it is not, the soul will 
be inevitably robbed of its peace. 

Another class of hindrances, tending to the 
destruction of peace, springs from the influence 
of evil associates. It does not follow that 
because one is a professor of religion, it is safe to 
come under his influence ; for there are some in 
the church whose influence is more pernicious, 
and does more to destroy the power of spiritual 
religion on the heart, than all other influences 
combined. There are professors of religion 
everywhere to be met, whom none can associate 
with, without endangering their piety. One 
needs to be very careful with whom he mingles, 
and what kind of influence he puts himself under. 
He should choose such companions as may pro- 
mote his spiritual growth and his active useful- 
ness ; not such as will prove like dead weights 
upon his piety, to drag it down and destroy its 
activity. For it is extremely difl&cult to recover 
one's self from the power of evil associations. 

Another class of hindrances arises from a fail- 
ure to assume the duties of the Christian at the 
time when peace was found. This is a source 
of temptation and spiritual darkness. If the 



122 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

Christian fail to establish holy habits in place 
of those which are sinful ; if he fail to set apart 
and sacredly to observe stated periods of devo- 
tion ; if, as the head of a family, one fail to set up 
the domestic altar ; or, if business men fail to 
control their business in accordance with their 
duties to God, this failure cannot but exert a 
most pernicious influence. So, also, a failure to 
continue a course of Christian duty well com- 
menced, is attended with like difficulty. 

No sooner does one begin to walk in the way 
of peace, than he is encompassed with these and 
a thousand other dangers. Temptations from 
within and from without beset him. The world 
presses its objects of allurement upon his heart. 
He is exposed to wander, to forsake the way of 
peace, and lose his enjoyment in religion. Not 
that he is compelled by circumstances above 
control to do this, but he is thus tempted. All 
his danger arises from his yielding to such temp- 
tations. If he resist them and live near to God, 
he may ever live in the blessedness of peace ; if 
he yield to them, he will bring wretchedness 
upon himself. Peace will forsake him, and a 
horror of thick darkness will overspread his 
soul. 



ni^ttx iauxittntl^. 



SPIRITUAL DARKNESS. 



The light of religion, like that of the natural 
sun, may sometimes be overcast with clouds. 
There are few bearing the Christian name who 
do not know, by their experience, the power 
of spiritual darkness. While those who deceive 
themselves may bo filled with joy, and have 
none of the peculiar temptations and difficulties 
of the true Christian, he may be oppressed with 
distressing fears, may have the sunlight of his 
joys beclouded with gloom, and may be almost 
ready to abandon his religious hope. Less con- 
scientious and more confident, the self-deceived 
are ignorant of their spiritual state, and float 
down the stream of life untroubled by their sins, 
and ever sure of their salvation ; while the 
Christian is compelled to put forth vigorous and 
self-denying efforts to maintain his faith, and to 
preserve his position upon the rock. 

The Christian may come into a state of mind 
which may be properly compared to darkness. 
The prophet alludes to this when he speaks of 

123 



■j^24 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

ttose " who walk in darkness and have no light." 
By this it is meant, that they are deprived of the 
sensible presence of God, lose the comforts of 
religion, are shorn of their Christian strength, 
and oppressed with gloom. They are deprived 
of that sensible nearness to God, once the 
source of joy, and that consciousness of his 
presence which imparted peace. In this state, 
the light of the believer's spiritual hope is ob- 
scured, but not extinguished. God seems to 
have withdrawn himself, as in the case of Job, 
who exclaimed, " O that I were as in months 
past, in the days when God preserved me, when 
his candle shined upon my head, and when by 
his light I walked through darkness." So also 
the prophet said: "For these things I weep; 
mine eyes run down with water, because the 
Comforter who should reheve my soul is far 

from me." 

Bunyan describes Christian as oppressed with 
spiritual darkness, when passing through the 
valley of the shadow of death, in the dungeon of 
Doubting Castle, and when sinking in the river. 
And similar disquietude is the portion of every 
true believer who wanders from God. When he 
starts in the Christian way, he resembles a trav- 
eller, on a pleasant morning, under bright skies, 
nature being attired in her most attractive dress, 
and presenting, on every side, objects of pleas- 



SPIRITUAL DARKNESS. 125 

ing interest. The air is mild, the world seems 
to hymn the praises of its great Creator, and he 
presses on his way with a delight that knows no 
alloy. But he is an inexperienced traveller 
who does not know that there are hills to be 
climbed, valleys to be descended, streams to be 
crossed, devious paths to be shunned ; and that, 
as night advances, it is often difficult to avoid 
losing the road, through the multitude of cross- 
ings ; or who does not know that the bright 
sun may soon be obscured, that clouds may pile 
themselves in clouds in majestic grandeur, till 
they shall darken the vision, and shed a thick- 
ening gloom on the face of nature ; and that, 
when nothing of the kind had been anticipated, 
they may pour forth their fury in driving rain, 
or hail, or snow, against the weary pilgrim, till he 
shall pant for repose, and look with eager gaze 
for the evidence that he is approaching some 
place of rest and shelter. 

So it is with the Christian. When he first 
experiences the joy of forgiveness, he feels 
a love for Christ and his religion, and seems to 
think that the joy which this love awakens can 
never become impaired. Like Bunyan's pil- 
grim, when his burden was loosed from his 
shoulders, and had rolled till it tumbled into the 
sepulchre of Christ, so the Christian exults in the 



126 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

glories of his Eedeemer, and his lips are vocal 
with his praises. He starts on the way to the 
celestial city, and thinks only of pressing on- 
ward. But he now makes the discovery that 
his heart is not perfectly free from sin, that 
temptations surround him, that the love of the 
world is not yet slain from his breast, and that 
when he expected to triumph, he is still obliged 
to fight. Many and wearisome are the Christian's 
conflicts, severe are his disappointments, deep his 
trials. So that, in the end, he is often like a 
shipwrecked mariner who has been driven 
ashore on a plank and crawled up from the 
dashing tide, to stand in security upon a 
rock; and who, in casting his eye back over 
the scene of his perils, can discover none 
of his companions who started with him on the 
voyage, for all have been buried in the depths 
of the mighty ocean, while he alone has escaped. 
There are clouds, and storms, and tempests, 
to which the Christian is exposed on the voyage 
of life; there is darkness which settles down 
upon him, from which he sees no means of de- 
liverance ; and it is not surprising that he should 
hail with joy, as he often does, that rest which 
remaineth for the people of God, where he may 
lay aside his wet garments, divest himself of his 
torn and soiled apparel, that he may be clad in 



SPIRITUAL DARKNESS. 127 

new raiment, pure and white, and enjoy the 
luxury of feeling that he has at length reached 
his home. 

The loss of God's presence to the Christian is 
attended with the loss of spiritual peace. It is 
accompanied with depression and gloom, instead 
of joy. He then walks in darkness, and is in 
constant danger. He cannot confide in God, as 
he Avas wont to do, nor go forward in the dis- 
charge of his Christian duty. He has lost all 
heart, and is shorn of his strength as was Samp- 
son in the lap of Delilah. He has no spiritual 
comfort. There is midnight in his soul. Peace 
is gone. 

This darkness may arise from diflferent causes, 
which it is important to examine. One common 
source of spiritual darkness is derangement of 
the body, in which the functions natural to 
health are impaired. This is often the source 
of religious melancholy in those who have no 
suspicion of their state. The mind and body 
are so associated that the one sympathizes with 
the other. Persons affected with nervous dis- 
orders become inclined to religious gloom ; and, 
through the force of disease which is uncon- 
trollable, ever look on the dark side. Prayer 
presently becomes burdensome, because they 
find no comfort in it ; and hope in the soul 
waxes feeble, if not altogether expires. The 



128 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

most intense mental sufferings are often occa- 
sioned by impaired health. And those who 
give the brightest evidence of religion, seem to 
themselves to be involved in the most dreadful 
gloom. 

But a more common source of spiritual dark- 
ness is worldly trouble, produced through too 
great haste to become rich. There is a grasping 
of the world, and an anxiety to attain wealth 
speedily, which influences the minds of thou- 
sands ; and Christians not unfrequently fall into 
this vortex. Discontented with remunerating 
gains, they seek to increase them to an unrea- 
sonable extent, and, from doing a comfortable 
and safe business, they extend their operations 
and enlarge their trade, as if disposed to use 
every facility, regardless of risk. The burden 
they thus assume becomes a constant source of 
anxiety. They must borrow money, and bring 
in their friends as indorsers ; they must part 
with their business notes at a ruinous discount ; 
they must bargain for and solicit favors ; they 
must turn every way, and take advantage of 
every circumstance ; and, after the greatest anx- 
ieties and struggles, frequently fail. 

There was one possessed of affluence, of com- 
manding position in society, a princely mer- 
chant, and a devoted Christian. He became 
largely involved, with the certain prospect in 



SPIRITUAL DARKNESS. 129 

view, as he thought, of immense gains, but was 
suddenly compelled to suspend payment. A 
friend called to see him. ^^Sir," said he to that 
friend, ^' I am a lame duck. It is possible to 
retrieve my affairs, but I think I am a lame 
duck. It depends on a contingency. If cotton 
should rise a quarter of a cent on a pound, I 
can save mj^self ; if it shall fall, I am ruined." 
It fell ; and this man, so respected, wealthy, and 
liberal, and so exemplary as a Christian, was 
instantly shorn of wealth, reputation, and Chris- 
tian character. 

And what are we to think of those who, after 
successive years of prosperity, find themselves, 
in a single day, bankrupt through some unfor- 
tunate speculation ? Instead of being fixed in 
a station of ease and afl&uence, they are reduced 
to poverty, their palaces crumble away, their 
estates pass into other hands, and they are not 
unfrequently glad to obtain a subordinate posi- 
tion in that business which they once command- 
ed. The man who was worth a million has been 
known to take his place, as clerk, behind the 
desk, in the establishment which once owned 
him as master. 

What is the natural effect of these worldly 
troubles upon the Christian? In the final re- 
sult, they may conduce to his spiritual good ; 
but, during the process of trial, and under the 
9 



130 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

pressure of such unbounded anxieties and cares, 
the soul can have but little enjoyment in reli- 
gion. Eeligious responsibilities are neglected, 
the active duties of the Christian life relinquish- 
ed, and clouds and thick darkness overspread 
the mind. 

Or God may remove his presence from his 
people in order to make trial of their faith, as 
in the case described by Isaiah when he says, 
'^ For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but 
with great mercies will I gather thee ; in a little 
wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but 
with everlasting kindness will I have mercy 
on thee." 

But spiritual darkness is usually the result of 
sin. He who commenced the Christian life, 
carefully fulfilling its various duties, presently 
relinquishes some of them. Under the pressure 
of worldly cares, the duties of the closet are neg- 
lected. The heart becomes estranged from God, 
subject to temptation. The Christian is enticed 
over on to the enemies' ground, and is led to act 
from worldly motives, thinking his interest in 
religion will never wane. Then he becomes 
absorbed in the world, and its spirit reigns with- 
in him. Sensuality and selfishness receive en- 
couragement, and betray him to the wicked one; 
and then his light goes out. A dark cloud 
rises in the firmament of his soul. He sees 



SriRITUAT. DARKXKSS. 131 

nothing as he ouglit, and feels no more the 
spiritual emotions which once imparted joy. 
One sin, presumptuously committed, or a single 
departure from duty, unrepented of, may induce 
consequences the most deplorable as it respects 
his future course. It may involve him in deep 
gloom, and exert a melancholy influence on his 
whole Christian character. 

In all such cases, it is not from any defi- 
ciency in God, but through his own neglect to 
watch and pray, that the Christian yields to 
temptation, and causes God to withdraw from 
him the light of his countenance ; and, instead 
of pressing on the way like a traveller in a plea- 
sant day, under bright skies and on a plain road, 
he goes groping on in the dark, sometimes 
plunging into a quagmire, turning from the 
road into the entangled laurels, stumbling over 
logs, or chasing the ignis fatuus, and in constant 
danger of perishing amid the gloom which en- 
shrouds him. 

The neglect to be active in doing good, has 
a tendency to involve the soul in darkness. 
Christ demands the active services of his dis- 
ciples ; and, if they fail to interest themselves 
in the objects which interest him, they neglect 
the means necessary to give expansion to their 
piety, and cultivation to their Christian graces. 
And then darkness fills their minds. Temp- 



132 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

tations and sins trouble them. They forsake 
the path of obedience, and their peace is 
gone. 

In such circumstances, how is one to recover 
his spiritual enjoyment and dispel the gloomy 
cloud ? He is to estimate, in the best way he 
can, the cause of his spiritual declension. If 
it spring from infirmity of health, he is to 
seek a restoration of health ; if from known 
sin, he is to repent of that sin, and renew his 
covenant engagement to be the Lord's ; if from 
a failure to be actively useful, he is to engage in 
the work of doing good. From Avhatsoever 
cause this darkness may arise, he is not to sit 
down in despair, nor to think that tears and 
promises will atone for past unfaithfulness. But 
he is to cast himself by faith on God, and go for- 
ward in his strength to do his holy will. 

As he first came to Grod, through a Saviour, 
to obtain pardon and reconciliation, so must he 
come now. And having gained a conscious- 
ness of sins forgiven, he must aim so to cultivate 
his faith and dependence on Grod, that it Avill 
seem to him like taking hold of his Father's 
hand, to be guided by it along the path of 
peace. He must, in all respects, act in accord- 
ance with his duty. He must be faithful in 
prayer, and seek to renew the communication 
of his soul with heaven. He must live in accord- 



SPIRITUAL DAKKNESS. 133 

ance with the principles which he professes; 
must engage in active usefulness; must break 
off every sin, and assume the performance of 
every duty; and, in proportion as he shall come 
more and more under the guidance of holy in- 
fluences, will the light be restored to his soul. 

There is a tendency in Christians to be gov- 
erned too much by their feelings, and too little 
by holy principle. When a cloud comes over 
them, they are ready to abandon their duty. 
They feel that they cannot perform acts of 
usefulness. They do not feel right, and hence 
they turn from the path of holy obedience, 
and lose their peace. In such a case, the only 
consistent way is to exercise an unshaken faith 
in God, and to go forward without remission in 
the discharge of every Christian duty. It is 
preposterous, because one's case is bad, to pursue 
the direct method to make it worse, neglecting 
the only means of safety. When the sky is 
overcast, and the mariner can take no observa- 
tion from the heavenly bodies, he watches his 
chronometer the more intensely, throws his log 
with more care, examines his compass, and 
, strives with greater accuracy to estimate his 
course and distance ; or, if approaching the coast, 
he carries less sail, and continually heaves his 
lead to ascertain his soundings, confident that the 
clouds will" not always last, and that the glori- 



134 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

ous sun will soon shine t>ut and reveal to him 
his true position on the ocean. So, in the 
midst of spiritual darkness, the Christian is to 
trust in God, and to take his word for his guide, 
that sure word of promise, '^ unto which," said 
Peter, ^^ye do well to take heed as unto a light 
shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and 
the day-star arise in your heart." 

How absurd for the mariner, in view of a 
rising storm, to neglect his sails, desert his helm, 
and leave his ship to be tossed at the mercy of 
the waves! On the contrary, the clouds indi- 
cating an approaching tempest, natural!}^ tend 
to waken in him the most intense interest, and 
excite his activity. If of portentous aspect, he 
instantly orders all hands aloft, furls the sails, 
except so much as is necessary to work the ship; 
and keep it out of the trough of the sea, he 
closes his hatches, puts in his dead-lights, lashes 
fast the boats, makes everything snug below, 
and then, in his oil-cloth coat, with speak- 
ing-trumpet in hand, he takes his stand by the 
helmsman, prepared to issue his orders according 
to the emergency of the case. 

But the Christian mariner, when a cloud rises • 
upon his mind, often pursues exactly the oppo- 
site course. He ceases to feel any interest in his 
voyage, quits the helm, leaves the sails unfurled, 
goes below, and casts himself, as Jonah did, into 



SPIRITUAL DARKNESS. 135 

his berth, and foils asleep, regardless of the con- 
sequences. He neglects to watch and pray, for- 
sakes the society of Christians, abandons the 
communion-table, and relinquishes all his reli- 
gious duties. At the time when the occasion 
demands his utmost fidelity to the trust reposed 
in him, he abandons everything in despair. 

But this is not the way to pass through dark- 
ness unharmed. The danger requires a remedy, 
and that remedy consists in renewed faith, and 
devotion to the active duties of the Christian 
life. Let a consistent, prayerful course be pur- 
sued, and the clouds will soon be dispelled. 
Peace will return to the soul, and the course 
of the Christian will be like the glorious sun in 
a cloudless horizon, tinging the face of nature 
with its mellow light, and sinking to its weary 
bed in calm and undisturbed repose. 



HOW ONE, WHO HAS FOUND THE WAY OF PEACE, MAY PRESERVE THE 
PURITY AND STRENGTH OF HIS RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS, AND EVER 
LIVE IN THE BLESSEDNESS OF RELIGION. 

No sooner has one found true peace, through 
an assurance of his divine acceptance, than he 
discovers himself exposed to danger. He is sur- 
rounded by temptations ; and it becomes an in- 
quiry of great importance to him, how he can 
best preserve himself from their fatal influence, 
maintain a life of piety, and ever live in the re- 
pose of peace. Is it necessary that one, who has 
become a Christian, should lose the light of the 
divine countenance, neglect God, and plunge his 
soul into spiritual darkness ? So many seem to 
think, and the remarks of experienced Christians 
often convey the impression to one just starting 
in the Christian life, that he must, as a matter of 
course, become cold and dead in his religious 
affections, and conform to the very imperfect 
standard which many in the church set up. But 
this is a false view of the subject. It is not ne- 
cessary that the Christian should sink down into 



PEACE MAINTAINED. 137 

this unhappy state. It is too often that lie does ; 
but tliere is no necessity for it, which he may 
not overcome. He need not permit his mind 
to be beclouded, nor his peace to be disturbed. 
He may hve to the end of his journey in the 
exercise of true piety, and in the continued en- 
joyment of communion with God. 

But yet there is danger that the allurements 
from without, and the worldly tendencies of a 
partially sanctified heart, will estrange his affec- 
tions from God ; and that his course in life will 
be diversified with light and shade, joy and des- 
pondency ; that he will sometimes stand upon the 
Delectable Mountains, and, at others, find him- 
self immured in the dungeon of Doubting Castle. 
But yet it need not be so. If it is, sin occasions 
it. Not sin in the general sense of falling short 
in the performance of the duties of religion, but 
presumptuous sin. Some darling lust has found 
its way into the heart, to contest with Christ 
the mastery of the affections ; and there is an 
improper yielding to the enemy. 

Christians may often recnr, in their thoughts, 
to the identical sin which has occasioned their 
loss of peace. They may detect the original 
cause of the withdrawal of God's favor, and 
fix on the very spot where they turned aside 
from the Eang's highway, and became involved 



138 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

in transgressions, of hurtful influence, daring 
their whole pilgrimage ; as Christian and Hope- 
ful could remember the stile over which 
they passed, to seek an easier path in the pre- 
cincts of Doubting Castle. With this, the ex- 
perience of Christians fully accords. There is 
many a one who, after a journey of several years 
as a Christian pilgrim, can look back to the 
very point where a single dereliction from duty 
inflicted a serious wound upon his peace, and 
left him a more inconsistent and infirm Chris- 
tian than he ever expected to be, when he first 
set out in the way to heaven. He can now see 
the bearing of that error on the peace of his soul, 
and has become conscious of its unhappy influ- 
ence on himself and others ; and, could he live 
his life over again, he feels that he would care- 
fully guard against it. 

Peace is the natural fruit of obedience. Every 
thing, as it respects the character of this obedi- 
ence, depends upon the preservation of the heart 
in the love of God. All the inspiring causes of 
true obedience spring from such a heart. Su- 
preme love to God, reigning there, is the gov- 
erning principle of all right actions. If the 
heart be not preserved holy in its affections, it will 
not be possible to preserve from sin the life. 
The great effort, therefore, of every Christian 



PEACE MAINTAINED. 139 

should be, to maintain the purity and strength 
of his rehgious affections, as essential to a holy 
walk with God. 

But how may this be done? It is an inquiry 
which admits of numerous suggestions. These 
I have included under distinct heads, in sev- 
eral successive chapters. By giving them a 
careful attention, and putting into practice the 
lessons of wisdom which they contain, you may 
secure j^ourself from apostasy, and have the 
joy arising from the consciousness of ever press- 
ing onward in the path to heaven. Do not sac- 
rifice the happiness of your Christian life, and 
its usefulness, by a disregard of those principles 
which are necessary to its preservation. Exam- 
ine the ground on which you stand, and proceed 
in the fear of God, and in dependence on his 
grace, to act such a part of self-denial and of 
Christian fortitude, as will bear you safely along 
your journey, and never, for a moment even, 
cast a shade upon your path. 



COMMUNION WITH GOD, ESSENTIAL TO A LIFE OF PEACE. 

All spiritual commnnication with God is 
through faith in the sacrifice and intercession 
of Jesus Christ. It is through faith that the 
soul is enabled to draw near to him, and to rest 
upon him with confidence, as upon a kind and 
gracious parent, who is able and willing to grant 
every reasonable request. Through that spir- 
itual change which is a fruit of grace, the 
distrust, which was natural to man as a sin- 
ner, has given place to holy confidence. The 
Christian no more doubts the existence, or the 
ability of God, than he does of the beings and 
things with which his senses are daily conver- 
sant ; but he feels the same assurance of his pre- 
sence, that he does of that of a friend who is 
seated by him. 

Prayer is the offering of our desires to God. 
It is not a presentation of words only, but 
the sincere offering of the heart, in the name of 
Christ. Many are the forms of prayer offered 

140 



COMMUNION WITH GOD. 141 

to the Deity, as if he would regard sweet into- 
nations of voice, and just emphasis, instead of 
the humble and fervent requests preferred in 
faith. Such prayers rise not above the breath 
which gives them utterance. They are the mere 
offering of the lips ; and they effect no more, 
than fingering the key of an electric telegraph 
does, when the wire is broken and communica- 
tion is suspended. But true prayer, with or 
without words, is borne upward in faith ; and 
it resembles the electric impulses, when the 
communication is perfect, transmitting the lan- 
guage of the soul to the auditory nerve of God. 
The abiding confidence of the soul in God, 
and the communication of _ its requests to him, 
tend to create a spiritual sympathy, and an in- 
terchange of feeling and sentiment, of a pure 
and exalted kind. The soul becomes con- 
scious, not only of his presence, but of its own 
acceptance. There is an assurance of this, 
imparted through these and spiritual commu- 
nications, which no language can describe. The 
soul communicates its thoughts and desires to 
God ; and he, in return, imparts his Holy Spirit, 
wakening in that soul peace and joy. God 
is felt to be present, and from him are derived 
grace and strength. Such inward delight does 
this spiritual communication produce, that the 
soul is often overpowered with the impression 



14:2 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

made upon it, through this spiritual manifesta- 
tion, and its joy resembles that of heaven. 

This communion with God exerts a direct 
influence upon the affections, to maintain their 
purity and strength. It is as necessary for 
the preservation of piety, as bread is for that 
of life. It strengthens love towards God, by 
bringing the great object of love directly 
into view. God thus comes into distinct con- 
templation; and the discovery of his glorious 
excellence is fitted to kindle the affections of the 
heart towards him, as the presence of some loved 
friend is to inspire a renewal of confidence and 
love. 

The affections are thus purified from every 
thing gross and sensual. There is nothing in 
God but what is fitted to awaken the purest 
love. His glories, discovered to the mind, at- 
tract its desires, and bear them away from the 
polluting objects of the world. These are ex- 
cluded, and their influence destroyed in the 
soul, by the supremacy of that love which fixes 
itself on God. And how can this love be main- 
tained, except by suitable intercourse and com- 
munion ? How are earthly things, in the esti- 
mation of the soul, to assume a subordinate po- 
sition, unless through the habitual contempla- 
tion of things more excellent? As the spiritual 
affections gather strength, so will the influence 



COMMUNION WITH GOD. 143 

of things earthly and sensual wane. And they 
will gather strength in proportion as they rise 
to God, and are brought, by communion, into 
sympathy with his excellence. The more con- 
versant the soul is with him, the higher and 
holier will be its spiritual attachment. 

But this result is not gained through a mere 
formal communion. Unless there be spir- 
itual intercourse with God, the prayer which 
is expressive of it is wholly worthless. But 
where the soul rises by faith to the discovery 
of his excellence, and goes forth to him in sin- 
cere worship, it becomes imbued with a portion 
of his spirit. God so presents himself, through 
faith, to the mind of one who loves him, as to 
captivate its affections, and fix its wandering de- 
sires. He thus, as with a cord of love, draws 
the soul of the believer to himself. 

The desire to please God is maintained in 
constant activity, by communion with him. 
One of the petitions of prayer is, " Thy will be 
done on earth as it is in heaven ;" and this, if 
sincere, expresses a request that God's will 
should be paramount ; and that all our affec- 
tions, thoughts, and volitions should be wholly 
guided by it. In other words, it is a request 
that we may make it the chief aim of our life 
to please him. The same is true of the other 
petitions: **Lead us not into temptation," **Thy 



144 THE WAY OF PEACE, 

kingdom come," and '' Forgive us our tres- 
passes, as we forgive those who trespass against 
us." These cannot be sincerely preferred to God 
by any but those who seek to do his will, as the 
chief aim of their actions. In offering these 
petitions, the soul assumes its proper state of 
dependence upon God, seeks conformity to his 
will, and aims supremely to please him. 

Prayer, when sincere, kindles in the soul 
right feelings towards sin. Praj^er will either 
kill sin, or sin will kill prayer; for it is impossi- 
ble to preserve communion with Jehovah, and 
yet love and cherish his enemies. Communion 
with God brings the soul into a state of holy 
sympathy with him, so that they think alike, 
feel alike, and are governed by the same holy 
principles. It strengthens the hatred of sin 
which reigns in the converted soul, and guards 
that soul against the power and influence of 
temptation. No one can live in habitual disobe- 
dience to God, and at the same time in the spirit 
of prayer. One may continue to call upon God 
long after he has lost all sense of nearness to him, 
and when conscious that his words do not ex- 
press the genuine emotions of his heart. But in 
such prayer there will be no communion and in- 
tercourse with the Deity. This will be interrupt- 
ed just at the point where sin is chosen. Never 
can it be restoi*ed till repentance insures for- 



COMMUNION WITH GOD. 145 

giveness. No man can live supremely devoted 
to the world, and at the same time maintain a 
spirit of prayer, any more than he can be gov- 
erned at one and the same moment by oppo- 
site and conflicting moral principles. Devotion 
to the one will completely destroy the power 
and influence of the other. Communion with 
God will insure a life of peace, but abounding 
worldliness a life of spiritual wretchedness. No 
man can live in the enjoyment of true religion 
unless he live on terms of intimacy with God. 
Prayer is the spiritual thermometer which en- 
ables one to ascertain the degree of warmth or 
coldness existing in his religious affections. He 
may thus know whether God is with him. If 
living in obedience to him, he finds his heart is 
drawn out towards him in fervency of desire ; 
and if he feel the power of prayer to influence 
his daily life, it is evidence that he is walking 
with God, and is in the way of peace. But if 
his spiritual communion be interrupted, he may 
know that there is some sin, secret or open, 
whose guilt rests upon his soul. Then gloomy 
clouds will gather over him, and peace will give 
place to disquietude. When sensible of this, 
never should he rest till that sin be searched 
out, and repented of. 

Above all, pra3'er secures the powerful agency 
of God to protect and guide all who trust in him. 
10 



146 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

*^ Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose 
mind is stayed on thee." '^ They that wait on 
the Lord shall renew their strength ; they shall 
mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and 
not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." 
The wisdom, power, and grace of the infinite 
Jehovah are enlisted in behalf of those who con- 
fide in him. He will keep them and guide them 
into the way in which they should go. Nor has 
there ever been one who has maintained com- 
munion with him, and not experienced his 
gracious aid. He who attempts to keep himself 
without prayer, will assuredl}^ fall. But he 
who relies on the Almighty power, cannot. 
And there is no inspired direction which 
contains more practical wisdom, or is more im- 
portant to be observed by all who w^ould live 
in the continued enjoyment of religion, than 
to *' trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and 
lean not unto thine own understanding ; in all 
thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct 
thy paths." 

Thus, by communion with God, is the Chris- 
tian strengthened with his might in the inner 
man. It is this which preserves the soul, imparts 
to its affections a gracious impulse, and bears it 
on victorious over the world. It is this which 
elevates the Christian above the power of temp- 
tation, imparts light in darkness, and restores 



coMMu^^ON with god. 147 

the once ruined man to the happiness lost 
through the apostasy. God thus becomes the 
Christian's bosom friend. Xo pen can portray 
the happiness resulting from this intercourse. It 
is known only by those who have experienced it. 
Do you know what it is thus to draw nigh to 
God in sweet and confidential communion with 
him ? K so, let it be your endeavor ever to Kve 
in the enjoyment of his holy presence. In no 
other way can you preserve your piety in its 
full strength, or continue in the way of peace. 
Yield to no temptation to neglect secret prayer, 
for it is in respect to this duty that the first great 
error of the Christian is usually committed. Let 
it be with you a fixed principle never to neglect 
the closet. If you have just commenced the 
Christian life, endeavor to begin right, and per- 
severe as you have commenced. Let it be the 
expression of your desire to God, " Take not 
thy Holy Spirit from me. Take all that I pos- 
sess : property, firiends, home, and all that ren- 
ders life pleasant ; but O, take not thyself away. 
Let me rather beg with Lazarus, and die his 
death, than enjoy all that the world can give, 
and yet live without thee, cast from thy presence, 
and deprived of that commxmion with thee 
which is the source of my spiritual strength, 
and of all my joy." 



KEEPING THE HEART, NECESSARY TO A HOLY LIFE. 

To keep the heart, is to watch over it, care- 
fully guard it from wrong influences, and regulate 
its affections in accordance with holy principle. 
It implies that the heart is already right, that 
by suitable care it may be kept, and that it is 
a Christian's duty to exercise this vigilance. The 
heart is the fountain of holy love, and it con- 
trols the life. No one can maintain his reli- 
gious affections in their purity and strength, 
who does not exercise a sedulous care over his 
heart, and see that all its affections are conformed 
to the divine will. ^' Keep thy heart," says the 
wise man, " with all diligence, for out of it are 
the issues of life." 

One step necessary for this purpose is, to ex- 
ert a proper control over our thoughts. We 
are so constituted, that we can direct our thoughts 
to any object of preference ; and, it is the natu- 
ral tendency of thinking on such objects, to ex- 
cite corresponding affections in the mind. Love 
is kindled by contemplating a pleasing object ; 

148 



KEEPING THE HEART. 149 

and hatred, by one of an opposite chaiacter. 
The thought of sensual pleasure kindles sensual 
desires. The mere thinking of it, or calling it 
up in memory, renews and strengthens the wrong 
affections. 

So uniform is the connection between the 
thoughts and the affections, that it is impossible 
to guard the one without properly adjusting the 
other. Hence the way to guard the heart from 
worldly temptations, is to control the thoughts. 
Many appear to think that the spiritual affec- 
tions will take care of themselves, while they 
pursue a course of life which directly tends to 
displace them from the heart. If one should 
dwell, in his fancy, on scenes of sin ; if, through 
books, pictures, or worldly associates, his thoughts 
should be directed to those objects which he 
knows are not pleasing to God, will it not tend 
to corrupt his heart? Is not this the way in 
which temptation presents itself to allure the 
soul from God? At first, the young Christian 
may rigidly guard his thoughts, turning in dis- 
gust from those objects in which he once de- 
lighted. But he is in danger of presently 
relaxing his strict discipline. The sentinel at 
the door of his mind may sleep or wander from 
his post, and worldly thoughts creep in, and be- 
come his familiar associates. He reads what he 
would not have read before ; he spends his Sab- 



150 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

baths in a way that conscience does not approve ; 
till, from thinking improperly, he begins to feel 
improperly. The peculiar interest once felt in 
religion ceases, and he becomes a backslider. In 
almost every case, and perhaps without an ex- 
ception, uncontrolled thoughts exert a chief in- 
fluence to secure a departure from God. 

He that would preserve his spiritual affections 
in their purity and strength, must carefully 
guard his thoughts. He must think in a way 
only that will be pleasing to God. And, in do- 
ing this, he may sometimes be summoned to a 
severe conflict with the wiles of the devil. But 
he must fight, and not relinquish the struggle, 
till victory shall crown his triumph. 

But the spiritual affections must have present- 
ed to them proper objects of love; the mind 
must have food. And it is an important step 
towards keeping the heart, to interest its affec- 
tions in that which is good. If one think him- 
self a Christian, and rely on this presumption, 
doing nothing to call forth and invigorate his 
spiritual affections, it will not be long before he 
discovers the evils attendant on such neglect. 
Wrong affections are to be dispelled, by culti- 
vating and strengthening those that are right ; 
the love of the world to be diminished, by in- 
creasing love to God. And, to keep the heart, 
it must be interested in those things which tend 



kp:eping the heart. 151 

to strengthen its holy love. Meditation on the 
divine character has this tendency. To elevate 
the thoughts to the divine excellence, and to 
bring before them God in his glorious perfections, 
tend to kindle love. So, also, to study the word 
of God, and to dwell in the thoughts on the plan 
of redemption, and on this manifestation of Je- 
hovah's love, has a similar tendency. 

But meditation alone is not sufficient. The heart 
must be enlisted, and engage in works of benev- 
olence and mercy, or its spiritual affections will 
wither and die. A failure here is the source of 
religious declension. Those who love God do 
not give sufficient expansion to their benev- 
olence in works of mercy. They seem to 
think that their spiritual interests will take care 
of themselves. But it is an error to imagine 
that the heart will keep itself right amid the 
worldliness and folly which make their constant 
appeal to it, while nothing is done to cultivate 
and strengthen its religious affections. ''Pure 
religion and undefiled before God and the Father 
is, to visit the fatherless and the widow in their 
affliction, and to keep one's self unspotted from 
the world." To do good is essential to personal 
goodness. The heart is to be kept, by fixing its 
affections on those things which God approves, 
and doing his holy will. It will be strengthen- 



152 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

ed in its religious aflfections made lioly through 
such influences. 

A faithful observance of the duties connected 
with a right heart, has much to do with keeping 
it. Communion with God must be conducted 
on principle. It will not do to trust merely to 
impulse. One must go forward, under the guid- 
ance of religious duty, to pray, even when dis- 
inclined. In the very act of prayer, he may 
gain light and feeling, which he could not other- 
wise have attained. , It should be a settled prin- 
ciple with the Christian, always to act in obedi- 
ence to the call of duty, and never to relinquish 
a single duty through an indifference felt, at the 
time, to its performance. 

In keeping the heart, it is necessary to check 
the incipient risings of wrong feeling there, and 
the first incursion of evil thoughts. Yielding to 
such feelings fully implants them in the mind. 
If you would prevent the water from tearing 
away your dam, you must check the small rill 
which courses over the embankment at its 
side. If you fail to do this, the constant wear- 
ing of that rill will open a channel for a larger 
stream, and make such a sluice that it will be 
impossible to check the onward current. So, 
if you would not make shipwreck of your reli- 
gious character, you must check the first tenden- 
cy to sinful thoughts and desires. If you per- 



KEEPING THE HEART. 153 

mit the world to fill your mind, and find more 
pleasure in its allurements than in God, it will 
not be long before you discover the fountain of 
your spiritual afl:ections to be dry. Giving way 
to little sins, as you may call them, or harboring 
improper affections, is the beginning of apostasy. 
One wrong affection indulged makes room for 
another, till presently the heart is corrupted, and 
its spiritual affections are borne down and swept 
away by a rushing tide of evil influences. To 
keep your heart, therefore, carefully guard against 
every incursion of evil. Eegard nothing wrong, 
as too small to be overlooked. At every point 
of his attack, repel the tempter. Eesist every 
worldly allurement, at the same time pressing 
on in the path of holy obedience. 

Nothing tends more to the preservation of 
right affections, than making it our constant en- 
deavor to please God. If one should ask him- 
self, in respect to every thing he does, whether 
it will be pleasing to his Father in heaven, and 
make it his habitual practice to observe this rule, 
cheerfully acting where he is called to act, and 
exercising self-denial where this is demanded, 
he would pursue the way of peace. He would 
have a guide which could not fail him in the 
darkest and most trying hour. The more one 
walks by this rule, the more elevated will be 
his love. From the habit of consulting the will 



154 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

of God on every occasion, lie will acquire a sym- 
pathy with him, which will lead him instinctive- 
ly to pursue the right, and to avoid the wrong. 
Thus, by exercising a proper control over the 
thoughts, by providing suitable food for the 
soul, by a faithful observance of Christian du- 
ties, by checking the first rising of wrong feel- 
ing, and by aiming, as the rule of life, supreme- 
ly to please God, may one keep his heart. 

Corrupted by worldly allurements, or evil 
thoughts, the heart acts on the mind to set it in op- 
eration, devising new forms of sin; and the intel- 
lect, thus moved, reacts on the affections, to in- 
crease the evil. The life naturally corresponds 
to the state of the affections. In every case of 
backsliding, this is substantially the process. 
And, often, motives of pride will cause one to 
preserve a form of religion, long after he has 
ceased to feel any special interest in religious 
duties. Many pursue the direct means to break 
down the power of divine love in their souls, 
and then wonder why it is that they feel so little 
interest in religion. Continuance in the way of 
peace is to be secured only by the observance 
of those principles which are brought out to 
view in first entering it. There is no other 
path of safety. The heart must not only become 
right in all who would walk with God, but it 
must be kept so ; and it should be the study of 



KEEPING THE HEART. 156 

the Christian thus to keep it. If there occur 
defection, it inevitably begins in the heart, 
or quickly affects it. Sooner or later, it en- 
thrones itself in this seat of power, and controls 
the man. 

Take care of your heart, then, as you would 
guard the castle which contains all that you most 
prize, and would to the last defend it from every 
assault. The failure of Christians consists in 
neglecting to observe this duty. And, in con- 
sequence of this neglect, clouds darken their 
horizon and obscure their hopes ; and, when 
they might enjoy the light, they walk in dark- 
ness. Every Christian is, by the grace of God, 
jdst what he strives to become. He may 
be a bright and shining Christian, or be ever 
shrouded in gloom ; he may enjoy a sweet and 
heavenly peace, or be disturbed by guilty fears. 
As his heart is, so is his life. 



THE FORMATION OF CORRECT RELIGIOUS HABITS, INDISPENSABLE 
TO ELEVATED RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS 

Habit is produced by the customary perform- 
ance of any action. We are susceptible to the 
formation of habits. Our physical system natu- 
rally adapts itself to that which is customary. 
The constant use of food, at a certain hour, will 
create a habit, and awaken at that hour a crav- 
ing desire for it. The customary use of strong 
drink will produce a similar effect. 

It is equally true of the mind, that a train of 
thought constantly indulged, will fix itself upon 
it as a habit. Feelings, continually cherished, 
will become habitual. Men are often uncon- 
scious of their habits. Profanity, when it be- 
comes a custom, passes without notice, because 
the mind, in this respect, ceases to take cogni- 
zance of its own operations. And this forget- 
fulness is often pleaded in excuse. But the lips 
are never opened in speech, or the foot or hand 
moved, without a distinct impulse of the mind, 
prompting those several actions. The most rapid 



RELIGIOUS HABITS. 157 

motions of tlie hand, in performing n piece of 
music, are tlie result of as many distinct voli- 
tions. Else the particular tones of the tune de- 
sired would not be produced. The mind con- 
ceives what is demanded, and wills that the hand 
shall touch a particular key, or there would be 
no tune. It is practice which causes this rapid 
execution. The mind, through habit, acts with 
the velocity of lightning. We accord praise to a 
skilful performer, because he plays well. And, 
on this principle, ought not the man who swears 
so habitually as not to notice it, to be con- 
demned? He even selects the company in 
Avhich to exercise his profanity, and carefully 
avoids swearing before ladies. And this shows 
that he is responsible. 

He who allows himself indulgence in any 
known sin, and pursues this course daily, will 
naturally form a habit. The same is true of 
good as of evil. Holy habits are as readily 
formed by those who love God, as are sinful 
ones by those who do not. That we are suscep- 
tible to the formation of habits, and that these, 
when created, exert such an influence over us, 
for good or evil, renders it of vast importance 
to secure in ourselves such as shall be the means 
of guiding us along the way of peace. 

That which lies at the basis of all mental and 
moral improvement, is a habit of self govern- 



158 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

ment. This is the power of control which the 
mind has over its own operations, to conform 
them to the guidance of certain just rules. It is 
the result of mental training. One, through 
proper carefulness, may acquire the habit of con- 
trolling his thoughts, and directing them to good 
and useful ends. The mind, like a well-appoint- 
ed mill, whose machinery is in order, and whose 
movements are regulated by a suitable balance- 
wheel, may act with precision ; or, like an ocean 
steamer, may be guided by the helm in any di- 
rection. Or, its thoughts may be left to wander, 
and to fix themselves at random on any object 
presented, guided only by preference and pas- 
sion. A deranged mind is of this character, all 
power of responsible control over its own opera- 
tions being removed. The thoughts rise with- 
out order, and shape themselves into a thousand 
fancies, as the snow, which, when borne by the 
wind, courses in currents, whirls in eddies, and 
spreads itself out upon the earth in drifts of every 
fantastic shape. So the thoughts of a deranged 
mind are not conformed to any rule, but course 
through nature, on the currents of passion, 
and arrange themselves into the most curious 
fancies. Sometimes, on every subject save one, 
the mind may preserve its self-control, and be 
sane. But, so deep and ungovernable may be 
the feeling on that one subject, as to sway the 



RELIGIOUS HABITS. 159 

reason and the judgment, and bear away the 
man into the vortex of insanity. 

It is the design of our Creator that our minds, 
with all their operations, shall be held by us 
under suitable control. We are responsible to 
him, because we are created with powers which, 
if properly directed, will enable us to obey his 
law ; and this justifies the subjection to that 
law, of all our thoughts, desires, and volitions. 
We are capable of giving direction to our 
thoughts; and habit enables us to accomplish 
with ease what would otherwise be difficult. A 
child finds it difficult, at first, to compose and 
write down its thoughts. But experience re- 
moves the difficulty ; custom fixes the habit of 
combining the thinking with a proper expres- 
sion of the thoughts on paper ; and then the 
irksome task of the novice becomes easy. 

The power of self-control is of immense ad- 
vantage in respect to the conduct of life. One 
may acquire the habit of close attention, where 
his business requires it, and may be a skilful 
accountant ; and yet may suffer his thoughts, in 
other respects, to rove at random, and follow 
the lead of his carnal appetites ; to be borne by 
them away from the path of reason and reli- 
gion. As it respects his business relations to 
man, his thoughts may be under suitable con- 
trol ; as it respects his relation to God, they 



160 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

naay rove, without any sense in him of moral 
obligation. 

Now, if the thoughts be not held subject to 
the same moral rule that the actions are, there 
is danger that all power of control over them, 
in certain important respects, will be wholly 
lost. He who assumes that the sins of thought 
are not wrong, so long as they do not result 
in open transgression, assumes an untenable po- 
sition, and one liable to jeopard his peace. It 
is indispensable, for the sake of the outward 
conduct, to control the thoughts. And if this 
duty be properly undertaken, it may become 
habitual. It should be begun at the commence- 
ment of a religious life. No time should be lost, 
but the mind should at once be disciplined to 
bring the thoughts and desires under control of 
the divine law ; this may be a difficult task, and 
occasion a severe trial, on account of the evil 
habits already formed. These must be displaced 
by new ones of a different character. When the 
thoughts have long been accustomed to rove 
without religious control, and the desires have 
been borne onward in whirlwinds of passion, it 
becomes a more serious undertaking than many 
think, to reduce them to suitable control. 

Two courses are open to the young Christian : 
either to extirpate his sinful habits, and bring 
the once dominant inclinations into proper sub- 



RELIGIOUS HABITS. 161 

jection ; or, to neglect so important a step, and 
go on sinning, and repenting, to the grave. If 
he pursue the former course, he acts wisely. He 
thus gains control of his thoughts, and, by de- 
grees, conquers his evil passions. This is the 
only safe way. No man can, by a volition, di- 
rectly control his inclinations, any more than a 
drunkard can thus extirpate his pernicious appe- 
tite. He may will not to drink, and thus grad- 
ually and indirectly attain his end. So, to con- 
trol his sinful propensities, it is necessary for the 
Christian to direct his thoughts to holy objects, 
and engage in those high pursuits which will 
destroy his old inclinations, by awakening new 
ones in their place. 

It is, therefore, by commanding the thoughts, 
and directing them to spiritual pursuits, fixing 
them supremely on God, and engaging them in 
holy duties, that the habit of self-government is 
acquired. The most inveterate evil habits may 
thus be eradicated, and the most raging passions 
controlled. Men, naturally the most passion- 
ate in their tempers, and impelled by the strong- 
est inclinations to evil, may bring themselves 
under proper religious regimen. 

Acting on these suggestions, it should be a 

chief endeavor of the Christian to keep the body 

under. There is an important meaning ascribed 

to this expression by the apostle, when he states 

11 



162 THE WAY OF PEACK. 

it as his endeavor to do thus, lest he should 
make shipwreck of his faith, and become a cast- 
away. All those animal passions which tend to 
a violation of God's law, all those evil propensi- 
ties which arise out of the necessary connection 
of the soul with the body, must be suitably con- 
trolled ; and this control must become habitual, 
to enable the Christian to live in the enjoyment 
of peace. 

On no one point is it necessary, through the 
formation of right habits, to set up in the mind 
a more effectual guard, than against *^ the lusts 
of the flesh, the lusts of the eye, and the pride of 
life." If good habits are not acquired and main- 
tained in reference to this subject, evil ones are 
sure to be. Neglect only tends to insure the 
evil. Habits of an evil tendency naturallj' 
grow out of the state of depravity in which the 
soul has existed up to the moment of conver- 
sion. Habits of sin have conformed to them the 
physical system, so that, after the soul has been 
regenerated and is changed, the tendencies to sin 
in the body remain ; and it is only by degrees, 
and through an entire change in the affections 
and volitions of the mind, that the body adapts 
itself to the renovated and holy state of the 
heart. 

The drunkard has created a disease in him- 
self by his habit of intemperance, which solicits 



RELIGIOUS HABITS. 163 

the cup, even after the heart is renewed. It is 
by degrees only that his bodily propensity is 
overcome, and a healthful state of the physical 
system induced, corresponding to the new life 
which he has begun to lead. Now, if one should 
overlook this, and think that he could continue 
a moderate indulgence of his appetite, and yet 
live a Christian, he would only nurture the evil, 
and husband the means of his own overthrow, 
through temptation, at some future time. And 
this principle has a wide and an important 
application. 

To enter on a life of joy and peace, it is 
necessary to break off all evil habits, and en- 
deavor, by the establishment of holy ones, to 
bring the physical system into sympathy with 
the renewed soul, that the body may become 
the temple of the Holy Ghost. And this is what 
is meant by keeping the body under. All 
its carnal inclinations must be subdued; and 
this can be accomplished by the establishment 
of those habits which are pleasing to God. 

The wisdom of these suggestions no person 
of experience can doubt. Mark this page. Ke- 
fleet upon it. Pray over it. It sets forth a 
principle which is applicable to the whole of 
life, and which involves, deeply involves the 
peace and happiness of the soul. If you are 
wise, begin your Christian life right ; maintain 



164 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

the rectitude in which you commence, and you 
will avoid a thousand temptations which like 
waves have dashed the unhappy voyager upon 
the rocks, to perish there. 

An habitual observance of all the duties of 
religion, at their proper time and in their proper 
place, is obligatory on the Christian, and is in- 
dispensable to the maintenance of his piety. 
Secret prayer, and family devotion where the 
relations of life demand it, together with a stated 
attendance on the worship of the sanctuary, must 
become habitual with all who would live in the 
enjoyment of religion. So, also, the study of 
the Bible, meditation on divine things, and active 
endeavors to be useful, must habitually receive 
that attention which they demand. All these 
duties may, by habit, become delightful, and 
conduce to the inward peace of the soul ; or they 
may, by neglect, hinder its spiritual advance- 
ment, and desolate its religious hopes. 

The duties of religion may become easy to one 
who is disposed to undertake them in a proper 
manner, and give them his systematic attention ; 
or they may become irksome. And, if one 
should think that he can preserve his piety and 
yet neglect the obligations which religion im- 
poses, he will discover, to his sorrow, his mis- 
take. It is only in the habitual discharge of our 
religious duties, that we can gain the spiritual 



RELIGIOUS HABITS. 165 

good which true obedience imparts, or the 
peace to which it leads. 

Make it a point, in setting out on the Chris- 
tian hfc, faithfully to observe all that religion 
requires of you. The cross may seem heavy at 
first, but habit will render it easy to be borne. 
Eernember that you cannot begin to neglect the 
closet without running into temptations which 
may prove your ruin. But the habit of secret 
prayer, ever maintained, will secure you against 
many dangers. This, in connection with a faith- 
ful observance of all religious duties, will bear 
you on, a conqueror, and secure you at last a 
crown. 

Above all, the Christian should establish in 
himself the habit of looking up to God for his 
guidance, and of striving to do his holy will in 
all things. This will prove his security. The 
shafts of the enemy will fall harmless at his 
feet, when warded off by the shield of faith. 
The allurements of the world will fail of their 
influence. The evil propensities of his own na- 
ture will receive a check, and become subdued 
to the will of God. Sweet peace will ensue. 

Make it your solemn purpose, then, to estab- 
lish those habits which are pleasing to God, and 
upon which in future you can with pleasure re- 
flect. Every sinful habit abandoned, and holy 
one gained, is an advantage, and fits the soul, 



166 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

in the best manner, for renewed straggles with 
the tempter, till the warfare shall be ended, and 
the crown of glory, the reward of the victor, 
shall be set upon his brow. 



READING, AMUSEMENTS, AND COlsrVERSATION, IN THEIR RELATIONS 
TO SPIRITUAL PEACE. 

The Bible chiefly commands attention as the 
word of God, and the only guide of life. To 
study it, should be the daily habit of the Chris- 
tian. It is not enough hastily to run over a 
portion of Scripture in the closet, or in the 
family ; nor will this satisfy the spiritual wants 
of the soul. Some important sentiment of the 
sacred oracles should be daily contemplated, to 
impress the mind. This habit of reading the 
sacred Scriptures should be formed at the be- 
ginning of the Christian life, if it have not been 
before, and be continued. No one can safely 
neglect this study of God's word. If he do, he 
neglects a most important means of his own im- 
provement. 

Ignorance is the parent of error. Many of 
the inconsistencies of Christians are to be 
ascribed to a defective acquaintance with re- 
vealed truth. Fickleness naturally results from 
ignorance. An intelligent Christian is not 

167 



168 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

readily borne about by every wind of doctrine. 
His mind is well balanced. He is not led, 
through the impression of a particular truth 
vividly presented, to rush into an extreme ; or, 
when temptation assails, to yield to its influence. 
He does not burn with a fever of religious zeal 
at one moment, and, the next, chill all around 
him with his icy coldness. He is familiar with 
the whole field of truth; with the dangers 
which encompass him, and the means of his de- 
fence. He is strong in the Lord, and in the 
power of his might ; and he stands in complete 
armor, vigilant, and ever ready to meet his sub- 
tle foe. 

His heart may be right with God, and yet, so 
defective may be his knowledge, as to expose 
him to great danger. He may be subject to 
more vivid emotion than one w^ho is more 
deeply imbued with Christian knowledge, but 
he is liable to more sudden changes. This ex- 
citement may be counteracted as suddenly as it 
was awakened, and he may be like **a ship 
driven of the wind and tossed." 

Worldly science and speculative knowledge 
cannot take the place of that knowledge which 
is peculiar to the school of Christ. Overlooking 
this distinction, many repose confidence in their 
own opinions, when these are essentially erro- 
neous. 



KKADING AND AMUSEMENTS. 169 

A deep and studied acquaintance with divine 
truth in all its parts will exert an habitual influ- 
ence over the mind. Instead of hastily skim- 
ming over a portion of divine truth, let the 
Christian, every day, set apart a season for 
meditation and prayer, deeply imbuing his mind 
with a portion of revealed truth ; let him medi- 
tate on the immortality of the soul, its natural 
danger, the grace of God in the forgiveness 
of sin, the folly of living to the world, and the 
importance of devotion to Christ ; let him re- 
flect on his duties to his Saviour, the dangers of 
temptation, his accountability, death, judgment 
and eternity, and he can not go forth into the 
world under the impressions thus awakened, 
Avithout being instructed and influenced by di- 
vine truth. 

In addition to the Bible, the Christian will 
find it of great advantage to have some practi- 
cal work on hand for his perusal, and to read a 
portion of it every day. This will serve to im- 
bue his mind with the best thoughts, and to 
guide his meditations. 

As to the class of books proper for general 
reading, there can be no doubt that such as 
tend to inform the mind, strengthen the under- 
standing, and cultivate the heart, are to be pre- 
ferred, to the exclusion of others. No book is 
worthy to be read which is. not useful in its 



170 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

tendency, in one or the other of these respects. 
Books of information are numerous and valu- 
able. Of such a character are histories, biogra- 
phies, voyages, travels, and works of science 
and art. There are many which answer the 
double purpose of imparting information to the 
mind and strength to the intellect. And there 
are works adapted to cultivate the heart. These 
may be works of real life, or of the imagina- 
tion; they may relate to plain matters of fact, 
or be works of poetry and fiction. In this brief 
enumeration, there is no place reserved for those 
dreamy romances which, by way of execration, 
are called novels. There is a vast amount of 
trash issued from the press which is incapable 
of exerting on the mind any other than an inju- 
rious influence. All those works of imagina- 
tion which are of an immoral tendency, or 
which give a false coloring to life, and tend to 
unsettle the youthful mind, and destroy its love 
for the acquisition of knowledge, should be 
wholly and forever discarded. Many there are, 
who, from a habit of indiscriminate novel read- 
ing, are prepared to gormandize whatever of 
this kind is issued from the press, without any 
regard to the nature of the work. Destitute of 
useful knowledge, such as that communicated 
by works of history, biography, and those which 
teach the manners and customs of nations, and 



READING AND AMITSP:MENTS. 171 

also of those which, treat of literature and of 
knowledge, and are indispensable to a good edu- 
cation, they sit, hour after hour, even into the 
watches of the night, reading those love stories 
and romances which have no other tendency 
than to pollute the. imagination and corrupt the 
heart. There are none who waste more precious 
time, and who are more hkely to gather in, 
from the thoughts, imaginings, and indeli- 
cate allusions of vile men who have turned au- 
thors, more pernicious sentiments, and a greater 
amount of moral pollution, than they who read 
whatever is presented to them in story form, 
without regard to the character of the works 
which they thus appropriate. Ladies of delicacy 
and refinement, who would shrink from an asso- 
ciation with the characters described, will yet 
suffer their minds to be coursed over, and their 
imaginations to be excited with the portraiture 
of vice and its pleasures, accompanied by no 
redeeming feature. The only influence of such 
injudicious reading is to seduce them from the 
path of duty to God. Here, the young Chris- 
tian must guard against the seductive tendency 
of such productions. They are evil, and only 
evil, and that continually. 

This exclusion, however, should not be ex- 
tended to all works of imagination and fiction, 



172 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

for there are many of this class which may be 
safely and profitably read. The point chiefly to 
be observed is, that these works inculcate such 
wholesome truth, and such pure morality and 
religion, as may tend to enlighten the mind, and 
properly affect the heart. That Christians must 
not read works of the imagination, because they 
are fictitious, is a very incorrect sentiment. If 
the mind is susceptible of pleasure from a 
contemplation of the scenery of nature, and is 
thus elevated in adoring thoughts to Grod, why 
may not the same effect be produced by those 
portraitures of nature conceived by fancy, but 
founded essentially in fact ? If a painting, de- 
lineating the evils of vice, by portraying them 
to the eye, may be viewed with profit, why may 
not a moral painting, addressed by fancy to the 
mind, accomplish the same beneficial end? Our 
Saviour thus instructed his auditors. He nar- 
rated interesting stories for this purpose. Some 
of his most beautiful presentations of truth are 
moral paintings, or works of fiiction, adapted to 
illustrate the sentiments of religion. And if our 
Saviour pursued this course, grounding his prac- 
tice on a knowledge of human nature, it does 
not become us to adjudge his wisdom to be folly, 
by casting aside, as of dangerous tendency, all 
works founded on the same principle. The only 



READING AND AMUSEMENTS. 173 

important consideration is, to ascertain whether 
these works are of a correct moral and religious 
tendency. 

But here arises a practical difficulty. Some 
works are mainly right, but contain some things 
objectionable ; for imperfection characterizes all 
human productions. What, in this case, must 
we do ? It is, to make such a selection for our- 
selves and others, as best accords with the prin- 
ciples above stated ; and to learn, in respect to 
reading, as we are compelled to do in respect to 
our associates in life, to discriminate the good 
from the bad. Milton has given a grand delin- 
eation, and presented to our view an exquisite 
moral painting, in his Paradise Lost. It is 
wholly a work of imagination, separate from the 
few great facts on which it is based. Cowper 
has given us the most delightful moral senti- 
ments, interwoven with garlands of fancy. Bun- 
yan has produced a fictitious work of surprising 
interest, which will be read so long as the world 
shall stand. De Foe has made use of fiction to 
impart many valuable and instructive lessons. 
And other authors have done a noble service to 
the cause of virtue and religion, by interesting 
the youthful mind through tales of surpassing 
beauty, whose only tendency is good. These 
must be distinguished from other writings of a 
debasing tendency, the productions of irreligious 



174 THE AVAY OF PEACE. 

persons, wlio, in their works, are regardless of all 
correct moral and religious impressions. 

It is necessary tliat Christians, both young 
and old, should have a just view of the class 
of books which it is profitable for them to read. 
In all these particulars, the rule which is to 
guide us is, to know the character of the works 
we are about to read, and to feed our minds 
with nothing but that which shall be morally 
healthful. 

The same rule, substantially, is applicable to 
our amusements. There are many things which, 
in themselves considered, are neither holy nor 
sinful, but possess a character in accordance with 
the use made of them. Hunger, as a natural 
appetite, partakes of no moral character, nor 
does its proper gratification. But, if we should 
receive food for the express purpose of gaining 
strength to commit murder, it would be sinful. 
To be done right, all that we do must be done 
from a proper motive. We are to do all to the 
glory of God. This fixes the line of demarcation 
between those amusements which are proper for 
the Christian, and those which are not. 

That which, in itself, is not wrong, may yet 
become so through its attendant circumstances 
and necessary associations. The motion of the 
limbs in dancing is in itself innocent ; and yet, 
such are the evils attendant on this amusement, 



READING AND AMUSEMENTS. 175 

and such the injurious influences of balls and 
midnight revels, as to cast the practice into the 
shade, and exclude it, as unworthy of those who 
would grow in grace, and enjoy a life of com 
munion with God, and of peace. 

Cards, dice, and billiards, from their necessary 
associations and tendencies, ought not to become 
the amusements of the Christian who values his 
own happiness ; and the parent, who should 
train up his children to become proficients in 
these games, would be the means of ruining his 
own peace, and bringing down his gray hairs 
with sorrow to the grave. Familiarity with 
these things, and even a knowledge of them, ex- 
poses one to the wiles of the tempter, and tends 
to the ruin of his Christian influence. 

But the same objection does not lie against a 
game of ball in the open air, which is conducive 
to health and vigor in the young. It does not 
lie against such games of skill and science as are 
not used for evil purposes. These, if properly 
conducted, may render home attractive, and pre- 
serve the young from bad associations abroad. 
The game of chess may stand as the representa- 
tive of this class. It is wholly a game of science, 
and it exercises the mind as usefuU}^ as does the 
study of the mathematics, No objection lies 
against this game, provided that time is not 
squandered in it which might be more usefully 



176 TRE WAY OF PEACE. 

employed. The mind needs relaxation from se- 
vere study ; and this is one means of its innocent 
recreation, which none can condemn. The rule, 
however, as to the extent to which such 
amusements may be carried, is one which re- 
spects the value of our time. If it may be 
more usefully spent, and in a way more bene- 
ficial to ourselves, and pleasing to God, then 
that should have the preference. 

There are two ways for Christian parents in 
which to train their children. One is, to shut 
them out from the world, sternly prohibiting 
every plaj^ful feeling, severing them from social 
enjoyments, proscribing every work of the 
imagination as a pernicious novel, forbidding them 
their innocent pleasures, and thus preparing 
them to fall into temptation, when they come to 
mingle with the world, and shall have escaped 
from parental restraint ; the other is, to allow 
them innocent and rational amusements, to 
make home pleasant, and permit them to mingle 
with the world, at the same time instructing them 
to discriminate the evil and the good, and to avoid 
the one and choose the other. The former 
course will certainly be followed by disastrous 
results ; the latter commends itself as the true 
wisdom, and is j ustified as best, by successful 
experiment. 

With respect to social visiting, what is the 



READING AND AMUSEMENTS. 177 

Christian's rule ? Man is a social being, and was 
created tlius for wise purposes. And there 
are jjleasures which he may enjoy, v, ith ad- 
vantage to his religious character, and without 
endangering his peace. Of such a nature are 
those social interviews where the time is occu- 
pied in conversation, and which are conformed 
to the rules of propriety and religion. It is a 
great error to put all social parties under the 
ban, as improper for Christians, if they are con- 
fined to that intercourse and communion which 
are unexceptionable. Nor is it of any conse- 
quence how many attend them ; for such com- 
panies are always separated into little circles for 
conversation. Nor are such interviews half so 
injurious to society, as are many of those tea- 
table circles, where private character is assailed, 
and subjected to invidious remarks. 

If Christian parents are wise, and would keep 
their children under suitable control, they must 
make home attractive, and also create for them 
such proper and rational enjoyments, and 
such social visiting, as may furnish the young 
with that intercourse and communion which 
they naturally seek; and they must take the 
guidance of this matter into their own hands, 
or else Satan will take it into his, and spirit 
their children away into unhallowed gath- 
12 



178 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

erings in midniglit balls and carousals, which 
can only tend to their injury. In this respect, it 
must be our aim to please God ; and we must 
act wisely, and with a supreme regard to his 
revealed will. 

In conversation, such habits should be estab- 
lished by all who would preserve their religious 
affections in a proper state, as are agreeable to 
the rules of the Gospel. Here we are very 
liable to fail. It is right, when we mingle with 
each other in social intercourse, to speak of 
things interesting and profitable, growing out 
of the world, and of the events occurring around 
us, provided nothing be said which is injurious 
and contrary to Christian love. But Christians 
are in danger of confining themselves too 
much to such topics. They should, as Chris- 
tians, feel it their privilege to speak of the 
things pertaining to the kingdom of Christ, 
above every thing else. And yet, it is un- 
becoming in them to drag religion into conver- 
sation, on all occasions, in an ostentatious and 
assuming way. 

The Christian should aim to act naturally, as 
one of God's children, rejoicing supremely in 
him; and his speech should be seasoned with 
grace, thus manifesting the attachment of his 
heart to things heavenly and divine, ,And he 



READING AND AMUSEMENTS. 179 

should ever aim to acquire such habits of con- 
versation, and intercourse with men, as shall be 
pleasing to his heavenly Father, and make his 
own influence, in every respect, what it should 
be. 



RIGHT RELIGIOUS ASSOCIATIONS, AND THEIR HAPPY INFLUENCB. 

The mind is naturally susceptible to be 
influenced by others with whom we mingle, 
to whose conversation we listen, whose con- 
duct we observe, and to whose opinions we give 
an attentive ear. Hence, it becomes of great 
importance for one who would walk in the way 
of peace, to use circumspection in the choice of 
his associates. 

If we look abroad into society, we cannot 
fail to discover the ruin brought upon the young 
in consequence of mingling, on terms of inti- 
macy, with those whose course in life is perni- 
cious. The child at home finds, in the domes- 
tic circle, associations of great value. JEe early 
learns that piety and happiness are conjoined. 
He finds encouragement, on every hand, to ad- 
vance in the path of virtue and religion. The 
ways of the wicked are unknown to him ; nor 
is he familiar with vice, in any of its forms. But 
he falls in with one who has been instructed by 
evil associates, in a different school. He listens 

18Q 



RIGHT RELIGIOUS ASSOCIATIONS. 181 

with curious ear to the first lessons of vice, and 
longs to practise them. lie hears others pro- 
fane the name of Grod, and sees them desecrate 
the Sabbath ; and his moral principles begin to 
give way before such ruinous examples. 

Soon he arrives at an age when he feels that 
he must act out the smart young gentleman. 
He acquires the vicious habit of smoking, and 
learns to visit places where intoxicating liquors 
are sold, and to partake of them with his boon 
companions. Vice at length becomes familiar. 
He forsakes the guide of his youth, and finds his 
pleasure in low and grovelling pursuits. From 
small delinquencies he advances to greater, till 
by degrees he sinks to the lowest depths. 

Who can describe the fatal power which evil 
associates wield, for the destruction of the 
young? The world is full of examples illustra- 
tive of their injurious influence. And if such 
associations are fatal to those who are uncon- 
trolled by religious principles, they are propor- 
tionally injurious to such as have begun to 
walk in the way of peace. The young Christian 
is not likely, at first, to be influenced by those 
who are gross in their habits. But, where such 
associations have once existed, and been aban- 
doned, they are in danger of being renewed. 
Not at once, however, but after the heart shall 



182 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

have lost, in a measure, the intensity of its first 
love. 

A young man who has found peace in believ- 
ing, for a time statedly attends the house of 
prayer. But he has never gone into such society 
as is the privilege of many with whom he min- 
gles ; and, while they have religious associates 
and pious parents and friends, he has none. All 
his associations are with persons of a different 
station in life, and none of them think and feel 
as he does. This is a most difficult and trying 
case ; and it is one of frequent occurrence. 
Either he must stand entirely alone, or fall back 
on associations which are distasteful. Grace 
may enable him, at first, to maintain a proper 
standing ; but, so soon as his religious affections 
grow cold, he will be led into some temptation. 
This is the cause of spiritual defection in many 
who seemed to start fair in the Christian life. 
Had they been taken by the hand, and in- 
troduced into new associations, they might have 
been preserved. But they found it difficult to 
withstand the influences of temptation, when 
pressed upon them, in their unfortunate associa- 
tions. 

Perhaps this trial is still more severe, as it 
affects the young female. She has come for- 
ward, with others, and professed Christ; but 



RIGHT RELIGIOUS ASSOCIATIONS. 183 

having come from a different circle in life, has 
no association with those who mingle with her 
in religious meetings. Her companions are 
unconverted. She too may, for a time, stand 
alone ; but she is young, and naturally inchned 
to society. At first, she cautiously mingles 
with her old associates. But she feels neglected 
by the young members of the church, in not 
being invited with them into the same company. 
She is mortified and grieved, and turns to those 
who welcome her back to the world, and try to 
render her as thoughtless of religion as them- 
selves. And now, the spiritual duties of religion 
are neglected. New thoughts and desires fill 
the mind. And thus, through the want of pro- 
per religious associates, she is tempted, and 
wanders far from her religious duty, and from 
the way of peace. 

Eight religious associations are as necessary 
to the mind, as food and clothing are to the 
body. But, where the wants of the body would 
readily excite sympathy, those of the mind are 
treated with chilling neglect. And, as the most 
lovely flower will soon wither under the chilling 
blasts, so will the affections of a sensitive mind, 
under cold neglect. It becomes, therefore, of 
indispensable importance to those who have 
begun to walk in the way of peace, to secure 
right religious associations. Christian love is as 



184 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

mucli bound not to neglect for others this ne- 
cessary want of the soul, as it is to seek their 
conversion; for it is of equal importance that 
those who are converted should have proper 
influences thrown around them to keep them in 
the way of peace. 

Some, in beginning the Christian life, are 
more favored than others in this respect. But 
it is a point vital to all who love God, not to 
mingle in such associations as will tend to im- 
pair this love. The young man must make up 
his mind to be without associates, if he cannot 
have those of the right kind. He had better 
live the life of a hermit, than to take a step 
which will involve him in the loss of peace. 
And she, who finds herself excluded from the 
society which she covets, had better live in soli- 
tude, than fall away from her religious profes- 
sion. But this is unnecessary. There never 
was a consistent Christian of either sex, who 
has not found friends, and those of an estima- 
ble character, by continuing to walk straight on 
with the people of God. In every case of de- 
fection, in consequence of evil associates, the 
blame rests on the one who departs from Christ. 

If it is important for our associates to be true 
Christians, much more is it in that intimate as- 
sociation formed for life. It is indispensable to 
our religious happiness, that those whom we 



RIGHT RELIGIOUS ASSOCIATIONS. 185 

tenderly love, should sympathize with us in re- 
spect to those religious feelings and duties which 
belong to the Christian. He who acts regardless 
of wisdom in this respect, and forms a connec- 
tion with a giddy and thoughtless person, whose 
heart is filled with the world, and who has no 
regard for religion, will find, when too late, the 
dreadful influence of such an association on his 
piety. And she, who yields her affections up to 
one who is a despiser of religion, and inclined 
to worldly pleasure only, spreads thorns on her 
own pillow, and will often receive from them a 
piercing and painful wound. It is essential to a 
holy walk with God, that the association which 
is longest to endure, should be formed on Chris- 
tian principles. 

The principle of association with those who 
would seek each other's Christian friendship 
should be, to choose such companions as mani- 
fest a desire to live near to Christ, and whose 
consistent and blameless life may correct the ine- 
qualities of our own course, and gently sway us 
into that which is good. Valuable, indeed, is a 
Christian friend whose example suggests only 
right courses of action, and whose words, flow- 
ing from a pure and devoted heart, are in ac- 
cordance with the temper of Jesus. Many a 
one has wandered from the way of peace for the 
want of a friend like this. Happy is he who finds 



186 THE WAY OF PKACK. 

such an one, and goes on with him, as did Chris- 
tian and Hopeful, in the way to the celestial city. 

But it is not every professor of religion who 
will make a profitable associate. There are dif- 
ferent classes of professors in the church, as 
there are different kinds of fish in the sea. 
There are disbelieving^ doubting, carping, and 
inconsistent persons enough in every church to 
justify the truth of our Sa,viour's parables of the 
ten virgins, the faithful and unfaithful servants, 
and the wheat and the tares. And here the 
young Christian must wisely discriminate, and 
choose such society as he is conscious will be for 
his spiritual benefit, and not rashly commit him- 
self to the influence of those whose iight is dark- 
ness. 

If the influence of our associations in life is so 
great, how earnestly should we seek those that 
are right, and aim to create a good, instead of a 
bad influence, by our example ! Let those who 
would make high attainments in religion, and 
who aim at extended usefulness, be careful of 
their associations in life. Let them not come 
into intimate relations with profane and wicked 
men, nor bind themselves, by secret oaths, to 
their friendship. I never knew a man who had 
linked himself with such associates, arid highly 
esteemed the bond of such obligations, who was 
not lost to the cluirch of Christ, as to any exem- 



RIGHT RELIGIOUS ASSOCIATIONS. 187 

plary influence. I never knew a man who, if 
his heart became interested in the good of Zion, 
and he were eminent for his piety, did not quit 
such associations, as occasioning a serious hin- 
drance to his reho;ious usefulness. I never knew 
a man who was so hol}^, and elevated so far 
above the power and influence of temptation, 
that he could enter into intimate relations with 
the enemies of Grod, and be sworn to their 
friendship, without suffering loss in his relations 
to Christ, and incurring spiritual damage irre- 
parable. And this is the result of experience 
and observation for many years. 

The associations of one who would advance 
in the way of peace, must be with those who 
love sacred things. The society which he seeks 
must resemble that of the saints. Be it your 
endeavor, then, to make your associations the 
means of your spiritual improvement, rather 
than a hindrance to your peace. Prepare your- 
self, by walking with God, for a blessed associa- 
tion at last with the spirits of the just made 
perfect. 



DOING GOOD AS THE CONSTANT HABIT OF LIFE, THE MEANS OF 
RELIGIOUS CULTURE. 

AMOJsra the means by which the Christian 
may* preserve his religious affections in their 
purity and strength, and live in the enjoyment 
of peace, there is none of more real importance, 
than to fix in his mind some good that he will 
every day strive to do for Christ. Nothing con- 
duces more to the perfection of true piety, than 
its active development in works of mercy, done 
as the habit of the Christian's life. The advan- 
tages arising from this source to one's religious 
character, and to his spiritual enjoyment, are 
many and great. As there is nothing that oc- 
casions more hindrances to spiritual advance- 
ment, or lays the mind more open to temptation, 
than the neglect to apply one's self actively to 
the work of doing good, so there is nothing which 
contributes more to the preservation of his spiri- 
tuality, and to his permanent establishment in 
the way of peace, than an habitual endeavor 
to be useful. As the limbs, through a proper 

188 



DOING GOOD. 189 

training, acquire increased muscular strength, 
so may the affections be expanded, and 
strengthened, through culture; this culture may 
consist in enlisting them in such benevolent 
acts as will bring them into a unison, in sympa- 
thy and feeling, with Jesus Christ. 

The affections of the spiritual mind may be 
right, and yet, if they are not put under proper 
training, if the means necessary to their growth 
and fruitfulness be not applied, they will wither, 
as the grass, from which the rain and dew are 
withheld, under the rays of a scorching sun. It 
becomes, therefore, important to illustrate the 
nature and excellence of that moral training 
which results from a habit of active usefulness, 
and its influence on the spiritual affections. 

In doing this, and to gain a clear and definite 
view of it, it is necessary to distinguish this good 
from our ordinary employment. Many think 
that they are doing all the good demanded of 
them, if they pursue their business with energy? 
and never slacken their efforts daily to increase 
their wealth. But there is no religion in striv- 
ing to become rich. Eeligion reaches down into 
the heart, to control its motives ; and if one, 
out of supreme love to God, pursue his business, 
and use the proceeds of it for the great and 
good ends which the glory of God sets before 
him, he acts religiously, and is doing good ; for 



190 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

his life is one of devotion to the great end for 
which he was created. But if he labor simply 
to hoard his wealth, or to use it in his own 
sumptuous living, or to maintain an establish- 
ment superior to his neighbor, giving for bene- 
volent and religious purposes only a pittance 
of his gains, there is no religion in this. The 
squirrel who hoards its peck of nuts in a hollow 
tree, does only what his necessities require ; but 
he who, beyond the demand of his necessary 
wants, lives only to hoard, acts in pure selfish- 
ness. 

It does not therefore follow, that to be indus- 
triously employed, is doing good, in the sense 
appropriate to this expression. If Jesus Christ 
had not actively devoted himself in works of 
mercy, but had simply lived to enrich himself, 
and to live in luxury, it would have never been 
recorded of him that he went about doing good. 
The expression indicates something more than 
a mere selfish devotion to one's own interests. 
" To do good and to communicate forget not," 
says the apostle, connecting it with liberality in 
the bestowal of alms. One may, in a certain 
sense, be doing good, who provides for his 
family, and does not leave them dependent on 
the charities of the world. Industry, for this 
purpose, is a duty, the neglect of which is a 
sin, though the observance of it is not a vir- 



DOING GOOD. 191 

tue. But this industry may be prompted 
only by a selfisli motive, and this provision ex- 
tend no further than to one/s own. It is as sel- 
fish to hoard for one's family as for one'sself ; for 
his family are identified with him. He lays 
up for them wealth, not out of love to God, but 
for the respectability and happiness of his house- 
hold, because it is his. There is no benevolence 
in industry thus directed. 

One may be industrious and frugal, and yet 
not do good in a scriptural sense. He may lay 
up for his family, or expend upon his luxurious 
habits, to make a greater display than others, 
not withholding those contributions given to 
benevolent objects, which he bestows to satisfy 
the clamors of his conscience, or rid himself of 
importunity ; and he may act, in all this, from no 
higher motive than selfishness. He may pass 
on through life as one enriched by his own ex- 
ertions in honest industry, and yet never act out 
of a motive of love to God, nor, in a single in- 
stance, have done good. Not but that he has 
made himself useful to others, as a water power 
or mill is useful in a neighborhood ; but, while 
giving employment to others, it was his aim to 
benefit himself, by making them useful to him. 
The results of his selfish aim to promote his 
own interests may be beneficial to the commu- 
nity, but he is not to claim the merit of good- 



192 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

ness on this account. He acted for himself; 
nor did supreme love to Christ, and a desire to 
do others good, prompted by this love, inspire a 
single action. 

He who thus makes himself useful, has no 
claim to the merit of Christian usefulness. It is 
not doing good as our Saviour did. It does not 
tend to cultivate the benevolent affections. It 
is usefulness such as that one cannot avoid if 
he conduct his own business wisely ; and it is 
in perfect keeping with entire selfishness. It is 
not a sacrifice pleasing to Grod ; for pleasing God 
does not enter into the motive which prompts 
it. 

It does not follow, that one does good who 
industriously pursues his business, and who 
makes a good citizen, and a useful man ; though 
to pursue the opposite course, would justly ex- 
pose him to condemnation. It would be crimi- 
nal in one to be heedless of life, but it is no 
merit in him to seek its preservation. It would 
be base in a parent not to love his child, but no 
merit to indulge the parental affection. It 
would deserve reprobation for one not to be in- 
dustrious, and sustain the good institutions of 
society, but it is no virtue to do thus. These 
are among those things which it would be the 
greatest crime to neglect, but no virtue to re- 
gard ; because self-preservation, and a desire of 



DOING GOOD. 193 

good to one's self, may constitute the only motive 
of such acts. 

There is no true virtue which is not inspired 
by love to God, as its chief motive. All else is 
but the fruit of selfishness. One who does not 
supremely love Grod, therefore, never does an 
act from a motive of regard for him. And this 
is the reason why all those acts which pass for 
good, and which are useful to others, do not 
advance the soul in Grod's favor, because their 
motive is not a right one. 

Those works which are truly good, spring 
from a higher motive, and are inspired by love 
to God ; consequently, they tend to increase and 
strengthen that love whenever performed. They 
are the actings of a truly benevolent spirit, the 
fruits of divine love, and as such, their perform- 
ance reacts on the spirit which animated them 
for its permanent and spiritual good. 

This discrimination as to the nature of good 
works is necessary to solving a mystery respect- 
ing them. The unconverted often think that it 
is by the multiplication of good works, such as 
prayers and benevolent contributions, they may 
so improve their hearts, as gradually to grow 
up into Christians. But it is evident that while 
they withhold their hearts from Grod, they do 
nothing from any other than a selfish motive. 
And if they should pursue their self-righteous 
13 



194 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

schemes till death, it would not render them a 
whit more acceptable to him. And it teaches, 
that, of the ordinary conduct of life, one can 
claim only a very small proportion as done from 
right motives. Sweep away all those acts which 
have not been done out of a supreme regard for 
God, and what have you left ? 

Select out of the heap of your actions the few 
crumbs of works spiritually good, and lay them 
by themselves, and you will be ashamed to look 
upon them. There is many a man of wealth 
who has labored diligently during life, and 
whose works, if heaped into a pile, would rise 
like a mountain, and yet, whose good works, 
when separated from this mass, would constitute 
only a few crumbs which a sparrow might swal- 
low without impairing its digestion by a surfeit. 
Indeed, a small plate of a child's dining-set 
might contain them all. Think of such an one 
as presenting himself before God in judgment, 
and offering upon such a vehicle the fruits of a 
life professedly spent in his service. 

Fix your attention on this point, for it is the 
key to the secret chamber of the heart. Chris- 
tians often wonder at the discovery of their want 
of interest in religion, and at the dearth of spi- 
ritual blessings conferred upon the church. 
They have been engaged in their business, have 
maintained regular habits of devotion, have 



DOING GOOD. 195 

been consistent in the duties of an external pro- 
fession ; but they feel dead in religion, and they 
know not why. The mystery is solved by the 
symbol of the sparrow picking np, as crumbs, 
all their good works, out of the lofty pile of 
their actions. They have never done enough 
for Christ to preserve their Christian graces 
from withering, or to accord with their daily 
prayer, ^Hhy kingdom come." It is the want 
of active endeavors to do good, which has with- 
ered the beautiful flower of piety, or nipped it 
in the bud. • The spiritual affections have had 
no water, on the principle that ^' he that water- 
eth others, shall be watered also himself;" and 
they have dried up on the stem upon which 
they had begun to expand in their beauty, 
leaving the tree fruitless. But had different 
means been pursued, the Christian would have 
stood like a fruitful tree in the vineyard of the 
Lord, his boughs bending under the weight with 
which they are loaded. 

If the young Christian should form the pur- 
pose to do some act of mercy or of love towards 
others, every day; such as to converse with 
some impenitent person to bring him to the 
knowledge and love of Christ, and to visit the 
sick, for the express purpose of doing good to 
the body and soul of the invalid ; to reclaim 
some wandei'er, or to do somethiiig of this nature 



196 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

wliicli requires, in him, a sacrifice of time or 
money for Christ ; and if he should create in 
himself a habit of such usefulness, it would do 
more to promote his spiritual advancement, and 
to elevate his religious affections, than can well 
be imagined. 

The natural effect of such a course of life 
upon the Christian would be to increase his 
love to Christ, and to his fellow-men. Love is 
strengthened by culture, in the same way that 
the muscles are by use. Acts done from love 
to Christ, can have no other effect -than to en- 
large the benevolent affections, and increase 
their power over the mind. The custom of act- 
ing benevolently soon establishes a habit. It 
is from those who give the most constantly that 
the largest benefactions are drawn, because their 
benevolent affections become more expanded 
and influential by exercise. It is this imitation 
of Christ, in active endeavors to do good, which 
brings the soul into a sympathy with his good- 
ness. This is the secret source of their religious 
eminence, who have lived and labored for 
Christ. It has grown out of their constant 
efforts to do good ; and here, too, is the secret 
of their spiritual leanness, who have hardly 
known whether they were Christians or not, be- 
cause they have failed in this essential to Chris- 
tian growth. 



DOING GOOD. 197 

Never has the church been more spiritually 
blessed, than since it has been engaged in efforts 
for the conversion of the world. These have 
called into exercise the spiritual affections, and 
resulted in blessings. This course has reacted 
on its own piety. It is necessary to call up 
into action the spirit of true benevolence, and 
give it proper expansion by the sacrifices we 
make for Christ, if we would become the most 
thoroughly imbued with the spirit of our 
Saviour. 

Holy love, and an abiding faith, grow out of 
efforts made to do good to others, so far, at 
least, as to their proper culture. Thus, private 
members of the church, possessed of but ordi- 
nary abilities, have accomplished much in the 
conversion of souls to God, and have them- 
selves come eminently to possess the spirit of 
Christ. The philosophy of the religious affec- 
tions, and the facts of experience, are in accord- 
ance with this sentiment. 

The spirit of prayer is eminently promoted, 
by engaging earnestly in doing good. He who 
seeks the good of others, is led to become sensi- 
ble of his own weakness, and to feel the need 
of the divine aid. And the same desire which 
prompts his benevolent action, is also the in- 
spirer of his prayer. His labors bear him to 
the throne of grace, and his prayers encourage 



198 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

him to labor, that he may gain the end which, 
in prayer, he seeks. Of what use is it to pray, 
'' thy kingdom come," and yet never put forth 
an effort to advance this kingdom ? Prayer, to 
be successful, must inspire personal activity to 
secure that which is asked of God. Thus, the 
good at which we aim inspires prayer ; and the 
prayer encourages the effort to do good; and 
this acting and reacting of prayer and good 
works, tend to Christian improvement. 

Doing good, leads one carefully to guard his 
heart against the influence of temptation, and 
to construct a consistent religious character, 
which shall aid him in the resistance of all the 
wiles of Satan. He who has on hand some be- 
nevolent project, and daily labors to promote it, 
is rendered peculiarly sensitive as to any influ- 
ence of a wrong character proceeding from him- 
self, which may countervail his endeavors. He 
is led to be very watchful over his conduct, and 
to do nothing which may not fall in with, and 
promote, in the best manner, his active endeavor 
to be useful. 

Holy joy in the soul is created by such un- 
ceasing efforts to do good. They cause the soul 
to resemble the well of living water springing 
up unto eternal life. It is possible for the Chris- 
tian so to occupy his mind with doing good, 
as to build up its happiness on a new basis, 



DOING GOOD. 199 

and impart a joy wliicli no man can take away. 
There is joy awakened in the endeavor to be 
useful ; and higher still, in the consciousness of 
success. Thus, every Christian, through the 
kind assistance of Heaven in his endeavors to 
do good, may create his own spiritual joy. 
While he aims to make others happy in reli- 
gion, he is made happy himself. His soul be- 
comes like a watered garden, filled with the 
flowers and fruit of grace. For, if it awaken 
joy in God to give expansion to his benevo- 
lence in works of mercy towards men, it awakens 
like joy in his people to become the imitators 
of his excellence. And this is the joy of those 
engaged in doing good. 

Let not the young Christian think that he will 
make advances in spiritual life, unless through a 
consistent endeavor to be useful. If he trust in 
the possession of faith without works, he is dead. 
Good works are useless, as acts of merit, for the 
sake of which we hope to be saved ; but they 
are invaluable as the fruits of piety and the evi- 
dences of love to God. If one would make the 
highest attainments in religion, and insure to 
himself a life of peace, let him imitate the exam- 
ple of Christ in going about doing good. 



AFFLICTION VIEWED IN ITS RELATIONS TO PEACE. 

Can the afflicted have peace ? In our 
trials, can we be tranquil? May our various 
losses of property, health and friends, be so 
viewed, as to insure in us a feeling of calm re- 
pose? Amid our sorrows may we rejoice ? How 
can this be ? Has the Gospel power to relieve 
the mind of all its distresses ? If not, it would 
fail in that which is essential to our hap- 
piness. There must be, there are, consolations 
fitted to relieve a mind oppressed with sorrow. 
And these are discernible in the faith which our 
Saviour bids us repose in him, as our only sol- 
ace in adversity. 

To confide in him as a Saviour, and to treat 
as true what he has communicated for our in- 
struction, is the real ground of all spiritual con- 
solation. Faith involves a practical reception 
of the truth. If one should believe himself to 
be in danger, his faith would be manifested by 
the efforts made to escape. He who believes 
a message sent to him, that his child is at 

200 



TEACE IX AFFLICTION. 201 

the point of death, treats that message as true, 
and shows that he believes it, by instantly- 
hastening to its sick-bed. It is the nature of 
faith to treat as true that which is divinely 
communicated. It is through faith that the 
facts of the Gospel are received, and appro- 
priated to our necessities. To accredit the 
fact that three and two are five, imposes on 
us no responsibility. Faith terminates in the 
fact received as true. But it is different in re- 
spect to that which involves the responsibility 
of our acting. Faith in the assurance that our 
child is drowning, does not terminate in our 
reception of this as true, but inspires our 
active endeavors to save its life. It involves 
this responsibility. It is not the intel- 
lectual act of believing, but the nature of the 
thing believed, which produces upon us its 
influence. We believe an abstract, mathematical 
truth, as certainly as we do one which involves 
our happiness, but it exerts no influence over us. 
But to receive and treat as true the testimonies of 
Christ respecting a future, happy existence, and 
the means to attain it, devolves on us responsi- 
bility, and inspires our efforts to secure the 
prize. 

We greatly mistake, when we trust in the 
virtues of a dead faith ; or think that the in- 
tellectual act of believing is the kind of faith. 



202 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

wliich is suited to confer consolation on the 
afflicted. Food eJBfects the purpose for which 
it is designed, by being appropriated to 
the solace of hunger. It is not the appropria- 
tion merely, but the thing appropriated, on 
which the benefit depends. Faith is an appro- 
priation to our necessities of that which is di- 
vinely communicated. No benefit can be de- 
rived from believing, unless the objects of faith 
are treated as realities. It is through faith that 
the truths of the Grospel are thus treated. It is 
the nature of these truths which produces a 
happy effect upon the soul in affliction. 

In this effect of faith, there is no mystery. It 
is in the nature of the truths received, that we 
discover the means of its influence. Faith, like 
a simple lens which collects the beams of the sun 
into a focal and burning point, receives the scat- 
tered truths of God's word, and concentrates them 
upon the afflicted mind. It is the medium through 
which these truths are appropriated to our need. 
And yet it is not the medium, but the truth ap- 
plied through that medium, which accomplishes 
the desired end. It is therefore proper to in- 
quire, what there is in Christ, and in the teach- 
ings of his word, which, received as true, is fitted 
to relieve the afflicted mind of all its sorrows. 
If one receive as true the testimonies of life and 
immortality, given by Jesus Christ in his Gospel, 



PEACE IN AFFLICTION. 203 

the natural effect of sucli a belief will be, to ren- 
der him less solicitous about the world, and its 
pleasures. 

When we view the trials of life in themselves 
considered, they appear to be very great. Here 
is one, for example, who had amassed riches, and 
had the expectation of increasing his wealth still 
more, but has suddenly met with severe reverses, 
and is now reduced to a mere competency. He 
has food and raiment, but not thousands to lavish 
on his pleasures. He feels his loss to be almost 
insupportable. He grieves over it, when he 
thinks that, but for his misfortunes, he would 
have been worth millions. But these misfortunes 
have changed the whole aspect of his life, and he 
mourns over them, as if everything valuable were 
gone. 

Others discover causes of dissatisfaction 
in the unequal distribution of Heaven's gifts. 
One has been deprived of personal beauty 
through disease, or is deformed, or lame, or blind ; 
or, through some terrible accident, has been cut 
off from the enjoyment of life, in the midst of 
high anticipations, and is dissatisfied with the 
dispensations of the Divine Providence. A cor- 
roding envy of others, more prospered than him- 
self, robs his mind of peace. He repines 
at bis unhappy lot, and through the mur- 
Tiinrs of his discontent, renders others around 



204 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

him miserable. Others are disturbed because 
their expectations of happiness have been blight- 
ed, through means above their control. Disap- 
pointment, instead of joy, has filled their soul, 
and they mourn over their sad fate. The world 
to them is very dark, and the sun of their hopes 
has set in endless night. 

On others, death has made an inroad, and be- 
reaved them of one most tenderly loved. Par- 
ents mourn the loss of a beloved, and perhaps 
an only, child. They had rejoiced in the gift of 
a kind Father, when that child was bestowed 
upon them ; they had watched over it with deep 
solicitude, marked the development of its men- 
tal powers, noticed, and spoken to each other of 
all its winning ways, perhaps treated it as an 
idol ; but, in an unexpected moment, by disease, 
or some terrible catastrophe, the tender flower 
falls, cut by the mower's scythe. The sweet 
smile no longer plays on those lips, the animated 
eye is closed, and all that remains of that dear 
object of aJBfection is its cold and lifeless corpse. 
What sorrows afflict those parents as they 
bend in grief over that child! How sad are 
they, while, with broken hearts, they see the lid 
of the coffin closed, and those features on which 
they once dwelled in delight, forever ex- 
cluded from their gaze ! Can they again find 
peace ? Or death may have entered the family 



PEACE IN AFFLICTION. 205 

and cut down its head, leaving those who never 
knew affliction before, to weep .a husband or pa- 
rent slain. When the disconsolate mourner views 
the objects of his affection withered and gone, 
where can he find relief? Is peace to him acces- 
sible ? 

Innumerable are the causes of disquietude 
which affect our happiness, and excite the heart 
to murmur. Often, the troubles of life are like 
successive waves, which come dashing after 
each other to the shore. To these trials we are 
exposed. They are incident to human frailty. 
They are the offspring of earth, and are ever as- 
sociated with it. The pain we suffer, the losses 
we endure, and our bereavements, are all earthly. 

And what is earth ? What is all that it can 
give or take away, compared with those eternal 
realities upon which we are soon to enter ? If I 
should represent all that we can ever enjoy of 
earth by a single dot, and then draw a line as 
the representative of eternity, each portion of 
which, equivalent to a dot, should represent an 
equal portion of duration to the present life, how 
far must I extend that line to give a fair repre- 
sentation of eternity? When must my hand 
cease to move ? How long must that line be ? 
Could it ever have an end? Now, when we 
bring the happiness to be forever enjoyed with 
God, into contrast with the sorrows of the pres- 



206 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

ent life, it makes tliem appear very insignificant. 
And yet this happiness is reserved, in heaven, 
for all who love God. Faith receives its 
testimonies as true, and treats this glorious 
world as a reality. It thus casts all temporal 
anxieties into the shade, representing them as 
unworthy to be regarded, in comparison with the 
glories hereafter to be revealed. What are all 
our afflictions and tears ? Why should we dis- 
tress ourselves about the evils we here experi- 
ence, and which can deprive us of only a few 
momentary joys? If we view all our happi- 
ness as earthly, then, whatever diminishes aught 
from it, will appear to us as occasioning a loss; 
but, when we view it as extending through- 
out eternity, we shall regard it in a very differ- 
ent light. Our present afflictions will appear 
only as the fleecy clouds which occasionally ob- 
scure the sun, and are quickly gone. *^ Weep- 
ing may endure for a night, but joy cometh in 
the morning." In addition to this, we are 
taught that God, in his providence, is ever nigh, 
for our protection and deliverance. He numbers 
the hairs of our head, and not one of them fall- 
eth to the ground without his knowledge. If 
we thought that no one cared for us, we might 
feel concerned lest some evil should occur, which 
would prove fatal to our peace. Or if we thought 
that, amid the pressure of his cares, God could 



PEACE IN AFFLICTION. 207 

not attend to us, or might forget us, we should 
tremble. But our Saviour teaches us not to fear 
that this can ever occur. And if so, we are led 
to inquire why we are afflicted, and if there is 
any wise and good end to be gained by our suf- 
fering. Undoubtedly there is. It is for our 
good. *^ For whom the Lord loveth he chasten- 
eth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." 
*' Before I was afflicted," says the Psalmist, ^^I 
went astray." '^ For our light affliction, which is 
but for a moment, worketh for us a far more ex- 
ceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we 
look not at the things which are seen, but at those 
which are unseen." Affliction teaches us pa- 
tience, and resignation to our Father's will. It 
strengthens our faith, and enables us to take a 
firmer hold on Christ. An arm inured to labor 
is large and rigid. It has a capability of mus- 
cular action, which an ordinary arm does not 
possess. Strength has been imparted by con- 
stant use. So, by habitual exercise, does faith 
attain a similar power. If there were no afflic- 
tions in life, faith would be feeble, compared 
with what it is when disciplined and schooled 
by adversity. Our hold, by faith, on Christ 
would also be feeble. But when, tossed on the 
boisterous waves, and beginning to sink, we are, 
with Peter, led to lay hold on Christ, we are en- 
abled to acquire a power of faith otherwise unat- 
tainable. 



208 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

It was in this way that the early Christians 
cultivated their faith. They were cast into 
the midst of trials of no ordinary character. 
They were thrown into a caldron of afflictions, 
and had no rest amid their adversities. They 
were, therefore, led to lay hold on Christ with a 
firm and enduring grasp. By their worldly anx- 
ieties, they were prompted, through faith, to cast 
themselves unreservedly upon the Saviour. 
Their faith was thus increased, and waxed 
stronger and stronger unto the end. 

It is the natural effect of storms beating upon 
the Christian, to lead him to fly to Christ for 
shelter. He who is in a foundering ship, in mid 
ocean, if he believe in Christ, is enabled, through 
faith, to commit himself to his gracious protec- 
tion, assured of his almighty wisdom, power, and 
grace. He is in the midst of trouble. Friends 
may be awaiting his return from a distant coun- 
try, and though he may be conscious that he 
will see these loved ones on earth never again, 
yet his confidence in God may rise above all 
fear, and bring his soul into the quietude of a 
calm repose. He may feel that, if it is God's 
will, the ship will yet weather the tempest ; but 
if not, all is well. 

Most of the deaths which occur are unex- 
pected. Our friends do not often die at the 
time, and in the way we think to be best. 



PEACE IN AFFLICTION. 209 

We see things differently from God, because we 
are so ignorant. Children are often taken in 
place of their parents, and we wonder at it ; the 
healthful, in place of the infirm. None of these 
events occur just as we should have ordered. 
But what of that ? Shall we, on that account, 
feel troubled and repine at God? It is the 
naturar effect of our Saviour's teaching, when 
believed by us, to still these murmurs. The 
great facts of the Divine Providence, received 
and trusted in by us, naturally tend to our relief. 
But faith in Christ involves not only the ac- 
ceptance of his testimonies as true, but a per- 
sonal reliance upon him, and confidence reposed 
in him, as our Saviour. It is the source of all 
true peace, because it provides for the sinner a 
refuge and defence from all his distressing fears. 
To believe in him is to receive and treat him 
as that divine person whom he represents him- 
self to be. It is to confide in him as omniscient, 
omnipresent, infinitely wise, powerful, holy, just 
and good. It is to identify our happiness with 
his ; to build upon him ; to dwell in him ; to 
become the objects of his constant care. Assured 
of this, why should we tremble at any event of 
a threatening or afflictive nature ? If we have 
a firm hold of his hand, and are assured of his 
ability and willingness to lift us over all the 
rough places in our path of life, and to protect 
14 



210 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

US from all the dangers in tlie way, what occa- 
sion is there for fear? In him, we have wis- 
dom, power and benevolence, infinitely supe- 
rior to all the painful exigencies of our condi- 
tion in life, and these ready to be applied for 
our aid. No matter how poor we may be, or 
friendless, or exposed to the incursion of evil; 
for we cannot be afflicted any more than Christ 
purposes for his glory and our good. What ca- 
lamity can befall us of which he is not cogni- 
zant ? "What affliction, the sting of which he 
cannot remove ? The glorious inheritance which 
he confers far exceeds any degree of sorrow we 
may here experience. 

Faith not only brings the future blessedness of 
the saints home to the mind as a realitj^, and also 
the guiding and protecting providence of God, 
but it brings Christ himself into the view of the 
mind, as the ever-present Saviour, who has laid 
down his life for us, and whom we may there- 
fore trust with a firm and abiding confidence. 
Faith receives all these as realities, and appro- 
priates them, in their fulness and power, to the 
relief of our miseries. It thus overcomes, sup- 
plants, and removes them. In view of the 
blessed truths which Christ has revealed, all our 
burdens of worldly sorrow may seem light. 
Our severest trials are but light afflictions which 
endure but for a moment, contrasted with that 



PEACE IN AFFLICTION. 211 

eternal weight of glory which is to be conferred 
hereafter. 

But methinks I hear some repining on ac- 
count of their losses, and murmuring at the 
course of the Divine Providence. The world is 
full of little vexations and annoyances, to 
worry those who set their hearts upon it, and 
even to rob the Christian of his peace. And 
some, if they have no real cause of such 
anxieties, will create them by their folly. But 
the disturbing power of all these troubles arises 
from the want of faith; — the want of that 
heartfelt, practical, daily confidence in the 
Saviour which the Christian should ever feel. 
In proportion to the weakness of our faith, will 
the world afflict us. He who views the world 
as the source of all his happiness, will discover 
enough, every day, to disturb him. Little 
things magnify themselves in proportion to 
their proximity. A gnat, close to the eye, ap- 
pears larger than a distant eagle. This is the 
source of many mistakes, and of much unhap- 
piness. We look at little things, and forget 
great ones. We make ourselves unhappy be- 
cause our houses are waxing poor, and our fur- 
niture is becoming old-fashioned, when, in a 
week, we may be su.mmoned to leave them. 
We torment ourselves by our efforts to shine 
in the world ; or distress ourselves about the 



212 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

health of our friends, when death is in our 
system, and will soon remove ns. A thousand 
sources of unhappiness exist, which may dis- 
turb our peace, if we will permit them to do so. 
But if we do, we commit a great error. We 
ought not so to regard the world as to feel that 
it can be our home. We are only travel- 
lers. What if our apparel be coarse; it is just 
suited to our habit as pilgrims, and will not be 
ruined by the dust. We are passengers in a 
ship which is bearing us across life's ocean ; and 
what matter is it, if, during the voyage, we ex- 
perience the want of some comfort which we 
covet, or are exposed to some annoyance? 
We are borne by the winds and waves 
toward the desired haven; and what matters 
it if our friends, who have been sailing in com- 
pany with us, gain it a little sooner than we 
do ? Ought we to grieve ourselves on this ac- 
count? Should we not rather rejoice that they 
have reached their home? Or, if we have 
reason to think that their bark has been foun- 
dered, and that they are lost, should we not 
repose such confidence in Him who rules, as to 
feel submissive to his holy will ? 

Parents often grieve intensely over the loss 
of a child snatched from them in its infancy. 
But how little do they know of the wisdom 
and mercy of God, in respect to that very 



PEACE IN AFFLICTION. 213 

providence! That child, had it lived, might 
have lost its health, become blind, a cripple, 
or insane, or plunged into sin, and brought 
destruction on itself, and given a fatal wound 
to its parents' peace; and God, foreseeing 
this, may have also seen that the only way to 
save that child would be to take it away in in- 
fancy. His stroke, though severe, is there- 
fore merciful. And faith rests in him, with an 
abiding confidence. 

Or, God may so lead the parent to him, 
through this affliction, and communicate so 
much of his presence to the afflicted soul, as to 
change its sorrows into joy. ^^I have felt more 
real happiness," said one, *^ since I stood over 
the grave of that child, than all that I ever felt 
before. God never before seemed so near to 
me, nor his love so sweet." And this is the 
natural eftect of affliction, as it reaches the true 
believer. The more it shakes his confidence in 
the world, the more does it strengthen his hold 
on Christ. 

As I look around me, I behold one blind, an- 
other deaf, another deformed, another hobbling 
around on crutches, or pushing himself along 
on wheels, because deprived of the use of his 
limbs ; and another bedridden, or dying. 
These, and other sources of affliction, tend 
to occasion great mental distress. But why 



214 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

should he who has Christ for his friend, feel dis- 
turbed by them ? I see men creating anxieties 
for themselves, worried and distressed beyond 
measure by their want of success in life, over- 
whelmed with cares about little things, tossed, 
like clams upon the beach, into an unfavorable 
position by one wave, to be relieved by the 
next, thus ever changing, ever disturbed. I 
see the source of all the disquietude which is 
thus occasioned, to be the want of an abiding 
faith in God. Faith is the remedy for fear— 
the source of peace. In the midst of our 
anxieties, we must endeavor so to possess our 
souls with the greatness, excellence, and bless- 
edness of God, and so to commit ourselves to 
him, as to elevate us above the disturbing 
power of affliction. Who would ever trouble 
himself about his worldly losses, who had in 
immediate prospect a kingdom, and an eternal 
crown ? The greatness of his privileges would 
more than compensate for what he suffers. So, 
if we possess our souls with faith in Christ, and 
rest, with an assured confidence, on his testi- 
monies, we shall have a certain antidote to the 
troubles which here afflict us. The world, with 
all its trials, will sink in our esteem, in propor- 
tion as eternity, with its glories, rises upon our 
eye. And when we come to leave the world, 
we shall view this last great trial as too insig- 



PEACE IN AFFLICTION. 215 

niflcant to awaken a moment's dread. If it 
come suddenly, we shall be ready. If it come 
to us while surrounded by our friends, we shall 
bear them testimony of God's faithfulness unto 
the end. If it come to us by the way — if a 
sudden plunge of the railroad car in which we 
ride, from a high embankment, or the terrible 
conflagration of the steamer in which we sail, 
imperil, or even take away our life, it will be 
sweet, amid such dangers, to trust in Christ, and 
to feel that we are in his arms. And, having 
escaped the cares, anxieties, and sorrows of 
life, it will be sweet, sweeter still to feel, that 
nothing remains to us but endless blessedness 
with God, in a world without tears, which death 
can never enter. 



THE BLESSEDNESS OF A LIFE OF PEACE. 

Can anything exceed this blessedness ? To be 
enabled to look up to God in the spirit of recon- 
ciliation, to feel a sweet repose in him, to trust 
in the divine promises, and live to the divine 
glory, is truly a blessed state. There is no hap- 
piness on earth compared with it. To the soul 
that is conscious of unforgiven sin, there is no 
true peace. But, reposing by faith on Jesus 
Christ, its burden is removed. It receives the 
assurance that its sins are blotted out. The con- 
science is relieved of its heavy load. Not the 
holy angels in heaven are more free from the 
sting of sin, than is the rebel against God, when 
he has obtained assurance of forgiveness, at the 
feet of Jesus. 

Here the soul finds rest. It reposes upon the 
bosom of Jesus, and is happy in the thought of 
being encircled by his arms. And with him for 
its friend, it is enabled to look up to God, in 
holy confidence and joy. You who have expe- 
rienced this mercy, know the state of mind 

216 



A LIFE OF PEACE. 217 

which is here described. It is eminently one of 
peace. The rapturous joy of the soul, at its es- 
cape from hell, as often rises from delusion, as 
from true piety. Joy springs from the assurance 
of divine acceptance ; and it would equally rise 
from a belief of this acceptance, even though 
this belief were founded in delusion. The hyp- 
ocrite may have as much joy as the saint, and 
his transports may rise even higher than those of 
the true convert, because they are the transports 
of a selfish mind, at a supposed deliverance from 
hell. But the joy of the true Christian springs 
from a view of God as glorious in his mercy, and 
in providing a free forgiveness for sinners through 
his Son. That of the hypocrite, is joy at being 
relieved from the fear of a miserable eternity ; 
that of the Christian, is joy in the excellence and 
glory of the infinite God, as a being who is able 
to fill all the desires of the soul. That of the 
hypocrite expresses itself in raptures at the 
thought of going to heaven, and wearing a glorious 
crown, and mingling in its blest society ; that of 
the Christian springs from a view of Christ's won- 
derful love to one who is unworthy. 

Peace is the state of mind which ever character- 
izes one who has received forgiveness. As it was 
sin that occasioned his disquiet, so, when the 
conflict is ended by a submission to God, all is 
peace. This peace is the foundation of true hap- 



218 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

piness. Every joy of the converted soul runs 
down, and takes root in that new relation to 
God, into which one is introduced through con- 
verting grace. Every pleasure before experi- 
enced was shallow and unsubstantial, because 
not based in this relation. What are thrones, 
what are sensual pleasures, and all that the 
worldly heart most covets, without peace ; what 
enjoyment can they afford? 

Can the soul, disturbed by the consciousness 
of guilt, and in view of eternal justice, find pleas- 
ure in delicious viands, or sparkling wine? 
It may, but it is momentary, and passes away 
with the taste and relish of those viands, leaving 
a sting behind. Can one who feels that he is an 
offender against the majesty of heaven, and ex- 
posed to the instant loss of all good, be happy in 
the circle of those abandoned to worldly pleas- 
ures, in the ball-room, and the maddening whirl 
of intoxication? Will riches make him happy? 
Will elevation to power? Could he reach the 
summit of his wishes, and repose on the pillow 
of State ; yea, could a mighty empire acknowl- 
edge him as its head, would that render him 
happy ? No. The resources of earth could not 
do it, so long as his soul is devoid of peace. He 
must possess a spiritual repose, or all that is 
merely external will fail to confer happiness 
upon him. So long as his conscience is disturb- 



A LIFE OF PEACE. 219 

ed with guilt, and oppressed by fear, he cannot 
be happy. 

But peace with Grod, separate from any of the 
luxuries which wealth confers, is the source of 
pure and substantial joy. And this peace the 
humble are as capable of experiencing as are 
the worldly great ; and they are far more likely 
to avail themselves of it as the source of their 
happiness, than are those who are burdened with 
the cares of wealth, and who trust in the pleas- 
ures which prosperity heaps around them. The 
humble soul may find peace in the consciousness 
that its guilt is removed, and may thus gain a 
source of happiness of which the world cannot 
deprive it. 

This peace dwells in the soul, and fills it with 
calm and heavenly delight. "What pleasure can 
be greater to one burdened with sin, than to feel 
that it is forgiven ? The great and infinite God, 
of irresistible power and awful terror, instantly 
becomes a friend. Not that he changes ; but the 
sinner, who yields himself to God in true sub- 
mission, and goes over to him in love. And 
this change in his heart gives God a new aspect. 
The terrors which existed in his mind are dis- 
pelled by the assurance of his love. The effect 
of this change is to confer peace. God has be- 
come his reconciled Father. And with him on 
his side, he is assured that no enemy can rob 



220 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

him of his happiness. Having access to the foun- 
tain, he pines not for the shallow and muddy 
stream. He can be happy without riches. Hav- 
ing food and raiment, he is therewith content. 
His life is hid with Christ in God, and he knows 
that when he who is life shall appear, he also 
shall appear with him in glory. 

This beginning of a life of peace is most 
blessed. It is the introduction of the soul into 
that state of friendship with God to which it had 
long aspired. Who can describe it ? Who can 
communicate the knowledge of it to one who 
knows it not ? It is heaven begun on earth. From 
this period, and onward, the world has a new 
aspect, and divine things present themselves very 
differently to the mind. All the happiness of the 
Christian centres in this peace. If it be main- 
tained unimpaired, the life will flow pleasantly 
along, like the crystal stream that waters Para- 
dise. Amid its trials, changes, conflicts and bur- 
dens, the soul which abides in peace with G-od 
will be undisturbed : 

** No rude alarms of raging foes, 
No cares to break the long repose, 
No midnight shade, no clouded sun, 
But sacred, high, eternal noon,'' 

will characterize its state of holy rest. This 
ought to be its course in life. But is it probable 
that it will be ? If the soul were, at this point, 



A LIFE OF PEACE. 221 

separated from the corrupt body, and from a 
tempting world, it would. Its love would never 
be interrupted, nor its blessedness give place to 
disquietude. 

But, in this world, the case is different. Not 
but that one who has found peace may continue 
to live so as ever to abide in the light of God's 
countenance ; not but that God will impart his 
grace to preserve the soul that trusts in him. 
For there can be^no question on these points. 
There is no apology or excuse for the Christian's 
ever being in any other state than one of high 
and holy enjoyment of God. From his first start 
in the Christian life, he may pursue such a course 
as to gain this blessedness. If he will observe 
and do all that God commands, so far as it lies 
within the compass of his ability, and maintain 
a nearness to him in spiritual communion, — 
walking in an abiding faith day by day, — then 
the candle of the Lord will shine upon his path, 
and he will be blessed. 

But this privilege will not be his on any other 
terms. Disobedience will insure its loss. Yield- 
ing to temptation, and to the allurements of the 
world, will sweep away his happiness like the 
incursion of a mighty flood. And here is where 
Christians are discovered to fail. They im- 
agine, having found Christ, that they shall 
never know the power of sin to disturb them 



222 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

more. But wlio has not ? Who that has started 
in the way of peace, has never felt disturbed at 
the thought of his own unfaithfulness, and never 
been ready to sit down in anguish, and give up 
all hope in despair? It is in consequence of 
wandering from the path of duty, that the mind 
is thus discomposed, and fear returns ; and, in- 
stead of bright skies, the pleasant sun, and 
flowers by the way, covering the gay face of 
nature, clouds arise, rocks and pitfalls abound, 
and the Christian goes on his way, stumbling 
and halting, and in the dark ; when, if he had 
not wandered, he might have found a smooth 
and easy path, and suitable places to stop and 
refresh himself, and rest his weary limbs, when 
night should overtake him. 

It is this wandering from the way which in- 
flicts a wound upon his peace. It is turning 
aside from that beaten path which is constantly 
illumined by the glories of the divine presence, 
which occasions this disquietude, and leaves him 
to wander among the tombs, or to sleep on the 
enchanted ground, and become the victim of the 
giant Despair, to be incarcerated for wearisome 
days in his gloomy prison. Thus Christian and 
Hopeful wandered, and endured an agony of 
soul, before they again found the King's highway, 
such as they experienced when they first came to 
Christ. And this portrays the state of every 



A LIKE OF PEACE. 223 

Christian who has become a wanderer. Just at the 
point where, in conscious pride, he turns away 
from God, the peace of his soul departs, and 
never can it be restored, till, through repent- 
ance, he renews his covenant relations, and, 
through faitli, partakes of those gifts which ren- 
der him conscious of God's friendship. So long 
as he continues to wander, it makes his case 
worse. He renders it more and more desperate 
by his continued neglect of duty, and sets up 
fresh barriers to his return. 

What can be more painful to one who has 
tasted of the heavenly gift, and found peace and 
joy in God, than to come by his own thoughtless 
conduct into the wretched state of one who feels 
himself estranged from mercy ? The world, as 
to any pleasures for him, is slain, and he can find 
in it no happiness. Where can he turn ? There 
is midnight resting on his soul. His joys are 
gone. He is ready, with Job, to say, '^ O that I 
were as in months past, in the days when God 
preserved me, when his candle shined upon my 
head, and when, by his light, I walked through 
darkness." Sorrows, such as none but the wan- 
derer from God ever knows, now fill his mind. 
Such darkness, such doubt, such consciousness 
of guilt, such fearfulness of having grieved the 
Holy Spirit, such a sense of injury done to 
others by an inconsistent life, so press upon the 



224 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

thougths, as to overwhelm him in distress. And 
here it is that the difficulties of return magnify 
themselves. Satan tempts him to think that if 
he does return, he will but wander again. In 
this way, and by such blows on his anvil, does 
he scale off hypocrites from the Church, and 
strive to discourage and turn away the real 
child of God. And he may, for a time, be suc- 
cessful. But that longing for peace which is 
kindled in the soul of the true Christian, will 
manifest itself in endeavors again to find mercy ; 
and he will not rest till, in true penitence, and 
with humble faith, he again sits at Jesus' feet. 

If wandering from God occasions disquiet, and 
brings the soul into deep distress, it sets off, by 
contrast, the blessedness resulting from true 
obedience. Life includes the successive actions 
of the man, and his successive states of mind. 

If the wandering and inconsistent Christian 
do many things that are wrong, and experience 
much mental disquietude, and his life is made 
up of light and shade, of brightness and of 
gloom, as he walks with God, or wanders from 
him, it is not so with him who keeps the way, 
and abides firm amid temptation. He enjoys 
continued peace, and a succession of joys which 
nothing can disturb. And here the full blessed- 
ness of a life of peace presents itself to view. It 
rises in contrast with one of an opposite charac- 



A LIFE OF PEACE. 225 

ter, as heaven displays its glories in contrast 
with, the darkness and miseries of hell. So 
does the holy and useful life of the Christian 
shine forth like the sun above the clouds, 
which leaves the darkness, the tempest, the light- 
ning and the storm to expend their fury upon 
the earth, while it continues to roll on its way 
undisturbed by these commotions, and glorious 
in its effulgence. So is the happy and useful 
life of the Christian. ^^ For the path of the just 
is as the rising light, which shineth more and 
more unto the perfect day." 

If we view the life of peace at its commence- 
ment, we discover its blessedness. If we mark 
any point during its progress, we shall discover 
its blessed effect upon the mind. That peace 
which is founded in reconciliation to God, is 
incapable of being disturbed by any thing but 
that which tends to avert his friendship. It is 
based on that which lies beyond the reach of the 
storms of earth. These cannot disturb it. The 
Christian is calm and happy amid them all. He 
stands as on a rock, uplifted from the waves of 
strife which roar and dash around it. . He is 
happy in living for others, and promoting their 
good. 

" To them, his heart, his love, his griefs are given, 
But all his serious thoughts find rest in heaven. 

15 



226 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

As some tall cliflf that lifts its awful form, 
Swells from the vale, and midway leaves the storm, 
Thoughround its breast the rolling clouds are spread, 
Eternal sunshine settles on its head." 

Such is the effect of a life of devotedness to 
God. Peace reigns in the soul of his obedient 
child. The world cannot expel it ; the sorrows 
of earth cannot drown it ; the heat of the fur- 
nace of affliction cannot dry up its springs, and 
thus exhaust them ; but it is, in every obedient 
soul, like ^' a well of water springing up unto 
everlasting life." And this peace continues to 
shed its blessedness upon the soul even unto the 
end. Those causes of apprehension which give 
alarm to others, produce no such effect upon 
the soul imbued with peace. The thought of 
death awakens no disquietude. God is upon the 
throne, and his empire extends over all worlds. 
He reigns over the universe. Departed saints 
are under his care, and living men. For his em- 
pire is universal. The world, and eternity, are 
but provinces of the same kingdom. To die is 
not to go beyond the reach of his providence, 
or out of the protection of his arm. Hence 
death awakens no such dread in the Christian 
as it does in others. For dying is but a transfer 
of the soul to another part of God's dominions, 
and an introduction of it into a new and sepa- 
rate state. It gives up the body to the grave, to 



A LIFE OF PEACE. 227 

be purified and fitted to become the new resi- 
dence of the justified soul. It is the change 
which flesh and blood must experience to enter 
into the kingdom of God. 

All the fears which crowd upon the mind in 
view of death, rise from the consciousness of 
"unforgiven sin. ^'The sting of death is sin." 
But the soul that abides in peace is not suscepti- 
ble of this evil. It rejoices in sin forgiven, and 
can truly say, "Thanks be to God who giveth 
me the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 
Thus mercy triumphs unto the end. The bless- 
edness of the life of peace continues to its close. 
** Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, 
for the end of that life is peace." 

So fades a summer cloud away, 
So sinks the gale when storms are o'er ; 

So gently shuts the eye of day, 
So dies a wave along the shore." 

Thus, in blessedness, terminates the Chris- 
tian's connection with the world. As the sun de- 
scends in glorious majesty behind the western 
hills, and his lingering brightness tinges the 
clouds with golden hues, so lingers the 
holy influence of one who lives devoted to God. 
It blesses others after his departure, and his 
name is had in everlasting remembrance. 

Shall this life of peace be yours ? It may be, 
if you will take the proper steps to secure it. 



228 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

You may live in obedience to God, and in the 
enjoyment of religion, all your days, and be a 
bright and shining Christian, whose influence 
may become a blessing to those with whom you 
mingle, and your end may be peace. Or you 
may pursue the opposite course, and involve 
your soul in distressing fears. Clouds may rise 
upon your horizon, imparting gloom. You may 
be barren and unfruitful in the vineyard of the 
Lord. And when you come to die, you may 
discover the folly of your wasted and misspent 
life, when it is too late to repair your error. 

Do not, then, set up the standard of the 
world, but that of the Gospel, as the one which 
you will strive to reach. Let it be your aim to 
do the will of God, and ever to live in commu- 
nion with him, that you may abide in peace 
beneath the shadow of his wing. 



a^tn ®totntB-|0ttrt|. 



PEACE AMID STORMS. 



Life is often compared to a perilous voyage, 
in which the mariners are tossed by the waves, 
buffeted by adverse winds, sometimes becalmed, 
and occasionally assailed by storms. Amid these 
diversified dangers, there is a natural terror felt 
lest the bark in which one sails should founder, 
and all be lost. Often the timid are tempted to 
give the cry of alarm, and to express distrust of 
the Divine Providence, by the murmur, *' Master, 
carest thou not that we perish?" And as often 
may they have their fears allayed, by the music 
of his voice, commanding the winds and the 
waves, saying, " Peace, be still." 

While conflicting with the storms which assail 
us on the voyage of life, can we discover any 
solace for those fears which are naturally awak- 
ened ? Amid the temptations, the buffetings, the 
adversities which crush our hopes, can we be 
tranquil ? In view of the awful scene of death, 
the dissolution of the body in the grave, the res- 
urrection morn, the dreadful judgment, and the 
final award, can we have peace ? 



230 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

Yes, there is peace; peace even amid storms. 
In every affliction incident to our frail and dying 
nature, the Christian may calmly repose his con- 
fidence in God. This confidence is the blessed 
fruit of religion. It is the peace which the Sa- 
viour imparts to those who love him. ^^ Peace 
I leave with you, my peace I give unto you ; not 
as the world giveth, give I unto you." The world 
gives that only which is momentary ; but that 
which flows from Christ, no man taketh away. 
*^ Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose 
mind is stayed on thee." Most grateful is it to 
the poor mariner, who is tossed on the ocean of 
life, to know that he may have peace. 

There is a class of storms which invade the re- 
pose of the soul, wakening convictions, and ex- 
citing into wild and tempestuous fary the waves 
of passion and terror, and which have their ori- 
gin in sin. " The wicked are like the troubled 
sea which cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire 
and dirt." ^' There is no peace, saith my God, to 
the wicked." This does not affirm that they 
may not attain it ; but, that they do not possess 
it. There is a conflict in the selfish mind between 
the claims of God, and the purpose to disclaim 
his authority, and resist his righteous demand. 
God has the rightful empire over man ; but the 
creature claims the right to control his own ac- 
tions. So long as the sinner is undisturbed, he 



PEACE AMID STORMS. 231 

is comparatively tranquil, and persuades himself 
that his house is built upon a rock. But no 
sooner does God approach him by storms, than 
he trembles, his fancied peace is gone ; his house 
is shaken, and terrors fill his breast. 

So felt the Prodigal Son in that distant coun- 
try whither he had wandered. He had gone 
from his father's house, and spent his substance 
in riotous living. He had abused the kindness 
of his parent, and had reduced himself to a 
wretched state, of which he was beginning to be 
conscious. He trembled at the thought of his 
own wickedness, and feared that the judgment 
of heaven would overtake him, before he should 
return. And he arose, and came to his father, 
in the full confession of his sin. Nor was it till 
he heard the voice of his parent, almost choked 
with emotion, exclaiming, '^This my son was 
dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found," 
that his anxious fears were quieted, and he felt 
sweet peace. So may the anxious, trembling sin- 
ner return to God in penitence, and, in the ex- 
perience of his forgiving mercy, find peace. And 
when he receives the assurance of this mercy, 
and hears, as it were, the Saviour's voice, saying, 
*^Thy sins are forgiven thee, go in peace," the 
thought of his sins will trouble him no more. 
Christ hath borne them all in his own body on 
the tree. The remembrance of them by the par- 



232 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

doned sinner will only waken a fresh remem- 
brance of God's forgiving love. 

Where now are the storms which once dis- 
turbed his repose ? The Saviour's voice hath 
allayed them, peace reigns within. Sweet peace ! 
Most grateful is the repose which it gives. Can 
I ever forget the hour when it first assured my 
soul of mercy ? Sweet peace ! How like an 
angel of love it came, stood by my side, cooled 
my burning brow, chased away my fears, and 
bade me dare to trust my immortal soul in the 
hands of the gracious Eedeemer! Storms have 
since invaded my repose ; angry billows have 
beat upon me. I have felt the darkness arising 
from neglect of duty to God, and never has my 
soul been quieted, till it has found the assurance 
of pardon, at the feet of Christ. And has peace 
returned ? Not as at first, for it was then with- 
out alloy ; but now, it is mingled with trembling 
thoughts, lest it should no sooner come, than 
go. And yet, all the treasures of earth could 
not purchase for me the blessedness of which it 
is the source. The storms which now assail, and 
the convictions and fears which disturb my se- 
renity, only awaken a more ardent longing for 
fuller and more perfect enjoyment in God. 
I look upward, and, while the cloud meets my 
eye, I see the bow of promise, its base resting on 
earth, and its arch spanning the sky, and I see 



TEACE AMID STORMS. 233 

reflected there the glories of that San of Eight- 
eousness, whose light chases away the darkness, 
the emblem of God^s mercy, the sweet inspirer 
of hope. blessed radiance ! I live in the pro- 
mise thou dost confirm; — in the vision of thy glo- 
ries, the emblem of God, the evidence of his con- 
descension and love. 

When the soul has thus been comforted, it is 
still exposed to storms. Temptations, sweeping 
across the mind, and influencing its affections, 
occasion clouds, thick darkness, and tempests. 
He who before was tranquil, is now tossed on 
the billows raging around him. He looks with 
amazement upon the storm, and longs for some 
quiet haven, in which to cast anchor. Where 
can he discover one? It is only through Christ 
the faithful Pilot, who holds in his hand the 
winged tempest, and can bid the threatening 
waves be still, that he can find security. In 
the midst of his troubles, the trembling disciple 
must apply to Christ. He must go to him with 
a believing heart, confiding in his wisdom, pow- 
er, and grace. And when he can feel that Christ 
is engaged upon his side, when he can renounce 
his sins, and, through celestial strength, can defy 
the tempter's power, he can gain repose. But 
he must part with his besetting sin ; he must be 
willing to cut off a right hand, and to pluck out 
a right eye. He must take his place at the feet 



234 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

of Jesus, and abide in his love, if he would again 
experience the blessing of tranquillity. 

Adversities often come upon the Christian like 
a storm. In the midst of security, he discovers a 
danger not anticipated. The fortune for which 
he toiled suddenly begins to crumble away. 
All his efforts to retrieve it prove unavailing. 
Instead of continued wealth, poverty comes 
upon him like an armed man. Faith now yields 
to fear. Darkness ensues. And can such a mind 
recover its serenity ? Not from the contempla- 
tion of the world. Peace springs from that true 
religion which instructs us that Grod is upon the 
throne, and that nothing occurs to affect the hap- 
piness of his children without his wise ordering. 
When the pious soul can sufficiently recover it- 
self to view aright the relation of this world to 
its happiness, and to see how inferior are all 
worldly things compared with those which are 
divine, it feels composed. It is consoled in the 
loss of all things, by the influence of an abiding 
trust in God. 

Often do we discover instances where those 
who have been stripped of their property and 
reduced to want, are thrown upon their spiritual 
resources for happiness, and are led, through 
this very means, to a holier life, greater fidelity 
to Christ, and to the cultivation of that nearness 
to Grod which imparts tenfold more happiness 



PEACE AMID STORMS. 235 

than could have been derived from all from 
which they have parted. The storm was indeed 
terrible ; but the peace which fills the soul infi- 
nitely surpasses in value every consideration of 
worldly change. The happy possessor of this 
peace can look back upon the dealings of the 
Divine Providence, and say, 

** Loud may the troubled ocean roar, 
In sacred peace our souls abide, 
While every nation, every shore, 

Trembles and dreads the swelling tide." 

Afflictive are the bereavements of life. Of- 
ten is the peace of the soul invaded through 
means which are unseen, and against which it is 
impossible to provide. Death enters the social 
circle, and leaves a happy family in tears. A 
beloved child or an affectionate parent has fallen, 
and caused a painful wound which earth cannot 
cure. The stricken mourner feels that his world- 
ly hopes are crushed, as he follows, in mournful 
procession to the grave, the object of his fondest 
love. What can heal the wound ? Who can 
wipe away those tears? Has the world any 
consolation to offfer? It has none. Nothing 
can sustain the soul of the mourner but an 
abiding faith in God. None but a celestial hand 
can wipe away those tears. And yet God, who 
rules, may so fill the mind of the stricken 
mourner as to impart an effectual consolation. 



236 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

He may communicate such spiritual joys as will 
remove the sting. Even to the widow and the 
fatherless may his love be so manifested, as to 
dry up their tears. 

But of all the storms of life, there is none in 
view of which there is so much natural dread 
excited, as that which is to terminate our con- 
nection with earth. The mariner on life's ocean, 
having often escaped its perils, feels compara- 
tively secure. He sees the storm rising, and 
hopes, by vigilant care, to weather it in safety. 
And now it comes. The waves swell to moun- 
tain height, the ship quivers at every dash, as 
they smite its timbers, or break over its deck. 
Still hope is buoyant in the mind. The wheel 
is actively and faithfully manned. Every thing 
which skill and ingenuity can devise is done to 
preserve the floating craft ; but one misfortune 
after another reveals the imminence of their 
peril. The bulwarks are swept away, the rud- 
der torn from its fastenings, the ship falls into the 
trough of the sea, an unmanageable wreck ; the 
masts tremble, and come down with a terrible 
crash ; and, unable to keep the deck, all who 
had crawled up thither seek safety below. 
Terror now reigns. Death seems inevitable, 
for there are no visible means of safety. 
One clasps his hands in mute despair, and 
seems horror-stricken at his approaching fate. 



PEACE AMID STORMS. 237 

Another on his knees cries to God for mercy: — 
the most profane wretch is now loudest in his 
intercessions and promises. Amid this outcry, 
there is one who receives the fatal intelligence 
of approaching death without emotion. She is 
tranquil, amid the terrified ones around her. 
She looks upward with an abiding trust in God. 
Having lived to his glory, she is ready to go at 
his bidding. Not all the terrors of such a scene 
can remove her from the rock. Calmly does she 
await the issue, addressing words of pious coun- 
sel to the affrighted by her side. Eeligion, as 
developed in its influence upon her, is indeed 
beautiful. Her brow is serene, her soul is peaceful. 
So have I seen one who, in the morning of 
life, and just as the beautiful bud was expanding 
into the flower, shut out from the world, by a 
lingering and fatal disease. The bloom forsakes 
her cheek, save the hectic flush which occasion- 
ally spread itself as upon marble ; a hollow 
cough, and hurried respiration, symptoms not 
to be mistaken, give a clear indication of the 
character of the enemy under whose power she 
has come. Her worldly hopes are all fled. She 
sits in her solitary chamber, and looks out upon 
the passing world she is so soon to leave. She 
can mingle no more in its social pleasures, nor 
unite with the people of God in the worship of 
the sanctuary. And yet, not a murmur escapes 



238 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

her. When she kneels in prayer, the words on 
her lips are, '^Even so. Father, for so itseemeth 
good in thy sight." She sees the earthly house 
of her tabernacle dissolving, with quiet thoughts, 
assured of soon having a building above, a house 
not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 
Peace fills her soul. With cheerful hope she 
commits her immortal spirit into the Saviour's 
hands, confident in the truth of his promises, 
and quietly awaiting the summons for her de- 
parture. 

Such is the power of religion to confer peace 
amid storms. There was one I knew, a little 
boy, who for many wearisome days had been 
shut out from the world, and from the Sabbath 
school which he loved, descending by slow de- 
grees to the grave. He saw it ; he knew all. 
And what, said I, shall I tell your companions 
at the school? ^^Tell them," said he, his eye 
brightening with hope, '^that it is sweet to die, 
trusting in Jesus, and leaning on his breast." 
Dear youth ! he passed away like a flower that 
is crushed in its bud, leaving the sweet fragrance 
of piety behind. His end was peace. 

There was another. She occupied a wide 
space in the affections of all who knew her. As 
life was passing away, after severe and terrible 
struggles with the enemy, her lips were seen to 
move. A friend listened, and what think you 



PEACE AMID STOKMS. 239 

were the words which flowed from them ? ** Sweet 
death!" ''Sweet death!" Though the storm 
without was raging, peace was in her soul. 
''Come," said Addison, "and see how a Chris- 
tian dies." And said one greater and holier in 
his influence upon the world, " O death, where 
is thy sting ; O grave, where is thy victory ! 
Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory, 
through our Lord Jesus Christ." 

That abiding trust in God, which is the gov- 
erning affection of the mind that supremely loves 
him, deprives the thought of separation from 
the world of everything that is painful. The 
Christian feels that he is going to dwell with 
God ; that his sins are forgiven, and his soul re- 
deemed and saved ; and while the tide of life 
ebbs, he is comforted with the hope of meeting 
in glory the Saviour whom he loves. 

Thus, amid storms, there is peace. But there 
is one, if such it may be called, which we have 
reason to believe, will prove more terrible than 
them all. It is that which is coming upon the 
world in a day when Christ shall descend from 
heaven with the voice of the archangel and the 
trump of God. Can the Christian sustain this 
trial? He can ; he will, when this shall come; 
and what shall be its harbinger, none can tell. 
All those great changes predicted by the holy 
prophets respecting the progress and triumph of 



240 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

the Eedeemer's kingdom must first be made. 
Generation after generation must appear and pass 
away. The world must be converted to God. 
Quietness must succeed to the clangor of battle, 
and confusion, discord, and blood be rolled 
away. The sword must be beaten into plough- 
shares, the spear into pruning-hooks, and 
the nations learn war no more ; and the banners 
of the Prince of Peace must wave over the 
whole earth. 

Then will come the end. At some period un- 
foreseen, and unexpected, nature will be convuls- 
ed. Darkness and tempests succeed each other, 
and the shrieking winds wail forth their last sad 
lament. The earth trembles as with inward 
throes. The lightnings flash, the thunders roar, 
and then all is still. Not a leaf quivers upon 
its stem. An oppressive silence pervades the 
world as if in anticipation of some awful devel- 
opment. The waves of the ocean dash with a 
heav)^ sound, and speedily die along the shore. 
Attention is now awakened, and all eyes are 
gazing upward, as in expectation of some new 
and strange result. Suddenly a light appears 
from heaven, breaking upon the darkness, and 
above the brightness of the sun. Brighter, and 
still brighter, it shines, and nearer does it ap- 
proach, till there is revertled to the astonished 
eye the person of God's own Son coming in the 



PEACE AMID STORMS. 241 

clouds of glory, with his attendant angels, to 
judge the world. 

Then the trump of God shakes the earth and 
penetrates every grave, and the command is is- 
sued, ** Arise, ye dead, and come to judgment," 
and all who are in their graves start up in deep 
surprise. Each individual of our race finds 
himself under the eye of the Judge, before whose 
face earth and heaven flee away. Each feels 
that he is surrounded by omnipotent power, 
from which there can be no escape ; imagination 
cannot paint the horrors of that scene, as dis- 
played to those who never expected thus to 
meet God, and who have denied and rejected 
his Son, the Saviour of the world ! The old man 
who lived and died impenitent, under the call 
of mercy proclaimed through Christ, the bold 
blasphemer, the moralist, the prayerless parent, 
and the ungodly child, now stand side by side, 
in speechless terror. And yet, amid these scenes 
of terror, there is peace. There are some who 
recognize the Judge as their friend, and long to 
meet him. No war of the elements, no agita- 
tions of terror in others, can shake their calm re- 
pose on God. Angels are now sent forth to 
sever the righteous fi:om among the wicked, and the 
friends of the Eedeemer soon find their place by 
his side. These mingle with the angels, and re- 
joice in the praises of their Saviour, entering into 
16 



242 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

his joy. But where are those who would not 
have him to reign over them ? Clouds spread 
themselves over them, and gather thick over the 
earth on which they stood. The world is on 
fire ; and infernal spirits rush forth, and drag 
the wicked from the caves and the dens whither 
they had fled for refuge, while a hellish laugh 
rings sharp above the roar and din of that tre- 
mendous conflagration. 

But sweet is the peace of those who trust in 
Jesus. They return with him in triumph to the 
skies. They approach the celestial city, the New 
Jerusalem, and their songs of praise rise in sweet 
music. " ye gates, lift up your heads, and be 
ye lifted up^ ye everlasting doors, that the King 
of Glory may come in. Who is this King of 
Glory ? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord 
mighty in battles. ye gates, lift up your heads, 
and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors, that the 
King of Glory may come in." 

They have gone. The gates, impulsive, 
opened wide, and the glorious company have 
vanished through their portals. And now they 
rest in peace. By the crystal river, and on the 
mount of God, they dwell in perpetual security. 
** They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any 
more, neither shall the sun light on them, nor 
any heat ; for the Lamb that is in the midst of 
the throne shall feed them, and lead them unto 



PEACE AMID STORMS. 243 

living fountains of water, and God shall wipe 
away all tears from their eyes." 

In heaven there is a peaceful rest. No con- 
sciousness of guilt there disturbs the pure and 
holy mind. No storms of temptation or sorrow 
sweep across those heavenly plains. No cares 
invade the repose of the weary pilgrim who has 
reached his home. Sweet peace ! most blissful 
rest ! Would that it might be your happy lot to 
experience it. Behold the prize, and so run 
that ye may obtain ; that so an entrance may 
be ministered unto you abundantly into the 
everlasting kingdom of God, of our Lord and 
Saviour Jesus Christ. 



a^tn f tottttg-ltftl. 



THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 

The natural world is full of beauty. He 
who views the works of God with express 
reference to this quality, cannot fail to appre- 
ciate the justness of this remark. Wherever 
he turns his eyes, there is beauty to be admired. 
It is evident, from his works, that the great 
Architect of the world designed to spread out 
before the minds of his intelligent creatures 
the evidences of his own glory, and to make 
them feel that a God of exquisite taste and 
skill is on the throne. How it may strike 
others, I know not; but to my mind, these 
works of wisdom and of power convey thoughts 
the most pleasing of him who formed them for 
the display of his own perfections. 

Who can look abroad upon the earth, as 
spread out before him, and not be impressed 
with its magnificence ? What endless varieties 
of hill and valley, of wilderness and field, pre- 
sent themselves to the eye ! Beautiful are the 
dense forests, where the trees vie with each 

244 



THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 245 

other in majestic grandeur, and where, by the 
little rivulet, far away from public gaze, in the 
deep wood, the tracks of the timid deer are 
traced. Nor less attired with beauty is the 
dale, down which the water glides fresh from 
its mountain springs, leaping and sparkling 
from rock to rock, now circling in eddies, or 
rushing on in wild commotion to find its level 
in the plain below. 

And there is majestic beauty in the ocean, as 
its waves, in constant succession, roll in with 
resistless might, breaking and dashing upon the 
shore. And there is beauty in the clouds which 
betoken a coming storm, and which seem to 
pile themselves above each other like mighty 
hills, whose summits are resplendent with light. 
And there is beauty, mingled with majesty, in 
the storm itself, as it bursts in fury upon the 
earth ; and in the mighty war of the elements, 
as with impressive grandeur it presents itself to 
the eye. And when the storm is over, there is 
beauty in the clear moon, which seems to glide 
along in silent majesty, shedding its mild beams 
upon our path ; and in the stars, those brilliant 
orbs, which, undisturbed by the warring ele- 
ments of earth, roll on their way so still, so 
uniform, so glorious, looking down upon us 
from their high abode, and seeming to whisper 
that in heaven all is peace. 



246 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

O, wJio but one possessed of every perfec- 
tion, could have made a world like this ! God 
formed it for himself, and to excite the admira- 
tion and praise of those who love him. And if 
nature, which is his work, is so full of beauty, 
how glorious must he be when seen in heaven, 
and surrounded by those objects which he him- 
self has selected, out of the furniture of the 
universe, as best suited to display his matchless 
taste in the decoration of his own abode ! Most 
glorious must be the city, the palace of the 
Great King, enriched with ornaments of his own 
devising, standing forth to view, in all its lus- 
tre, as the habitation of holy beings, in the 
midst of whom God is enthroned. 

And yet, it is not in the things that are seen, 
that the chief beauty of the universe consists. 
Created objects do indeed command our ad- 
miration; but there is a beauty superior to 
these ; it is the beauty of holiness. The beauty 
of holiness ! would that we might all discern it I 
Would that, in my thoughts, I could rise to a 
proper comprehension of it as it exists in God, 
and could excite in you such exalted concep- 
tions of this chief beauty of creation, as to turn 
off your eyes from beholding vanity, and lead 
you to pursue that true wisdom which consists 
in loving and adoring the great Jehovah, 
and abiding in his peace 1 



THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 247 

How can I describe God to you, so as to im- 
press you with his adorable excellence, and give 
you a just discernment of his moral beauty ? 
You have a desire to know and love him. You 
wish to learn more of his perfections. Living 
in his world, surrounded with his power, your- 
self the workmanship of his hand, you feel 
that it is due to him, and to yourself, to form 
such an acquaintance with him as may conduce 
to a mutual friendship. You see and feel the 
inconsistency of courting the various artists of 
human pride, and lauding them to the skies, 
while you neglect the chief artist of the uni- 
verse, whose works are resplendent with glory, 
and never attune your voice or heart to his 
praise. And you feel that it is becoming in 
you to acquaint yourself with him, and be at 
peace. Follow me, then, while I strive to give 
you some just and elevated views of this being, 
and to unfold to your perception God himself, 
as dwelling in the beauty of his holiness. 

But what is holiness, and whence does it de- 
rive its moral lustre ? To be holy, is to be pure, 
immaculate, complete in character, and wholly 
free from moral defilement. Holiness is the 
quality of being holj ; and it is perfect, as it 
exists in God. It resembles the sun, and is 
glorious as is that orb of day. It is a combi- 
nation of all the moral perfections existing in 



248 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

nature, as light is of the primary colors. So, 
as illustrative of the moral excellence of God, it 
is said that he *' is light, and in him is no dark- 
ness at all." 

To say that he is a being of infinite wisdom 
and power, is to give but a partial description 
of him ; it is necessary, for the completion of his 
perfect character, to add, that he is infinite in 
holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. If we 
strive to conceive of a perfect character, and do 
not include in it these various moral qualities, 
our conception of it will be defective. Suppose 
such a character to be possessed of all these 
qualities but one, and that this is the want of 
truth. This obvious defect must so reflect its 
baseness upon the existing virtues, as to cast a 
shade over the whole. Or, if the defect were 
of benevolence, or justice, it would be impos- 
sible to view the character, as a whole, but as 
base. 

Holiness does not consist in a single virtue, 
but in a combination of them all ; nor can the 
superabounding of one supply the deficiency of 
another. Each virtue, holding its distinct place, 
must itself be perfect, or the combination will 
not be perfect. Light, if any one of its primary 
colors is removed, will not be perfect light. Vio- 
let, indigo, blue, green, and yellow, cannot con- 
stitute light without the addition of orange and 



THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 249 

red. So is it in respect to the moral virtues 
composing a perfect character. They must be 
individually perfect, and all exist in combina- 
tion, or the character will not be a perfect one. 

Holiness, then, is moral purity without alloy. 
And where shall we turn our eyes for an exam- 
ple of it, but to the Son of God ? No sin ever 
alloyed his character, no wicked passion ever 
defaced his moral beauty. ^^ He was holy, harm- 
less, undefiled, and separate from sinners." Had 
there been in him one moral defect, or the want 
of one virtue ; had he been influenced by evil 
passions, excited by covetousness, or inflamed by 
lust, all the moral virtues which he possessed 
besides could not have rendered him worthy of 
our regard. But there was in him no such de- 
fect. He stood before the world endowed with 
every moral virtue ; and no one can study his 
character and not feel that it was perfect. 

If there were a community of such persons 
gathered into some city or village, all of whose 
members resembled in their character Jesus 
Christ, how different would be the state of that 
society from anything that our eyes ever beheld ! 
Not a sinful thought or emotion would there 
dwell in any mind. There would be no deceit, 
nor fraud, nor slander, no indulgence of vile 
passions, no intemperance, profanity, or licen- 
tiousness, but perfect unity and love, and entire 



250 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

freedom from every unhallowed thought. A 
community like this could offer no attraction to 
the sensual mind, but would awaken its disgust. 
The mere votaries of sense could find there none 
of the gratifications which they most covet. 
But those who love God would rejoice to behold 
such moral beauty, and long to become inhabit- 
ants of that place. No tongue can express the 
pleasure which such society would afford a pure 
and virtuous mind ; and conscience would com- 
pel an admiration of it in those even who, from 
their moral debasement, cannot love it. 

There is a beauty in holiness surpassing every 
other in the created universe ; and this beauty 
may be developed to view by contrast with its 
moral opposite. Let your thoughts fix them- 
selves on one towards whom nature has been 
lavish of her charms ; whose exquisite form at- 
tracts universal admiration, and who for beauty 
of person is unrivalled amid the thousands of 
her sex. So full of grace is every motion, so 
radiant is her countenance, and sparkling the 
lustre of her eye, as to challenge the admiration 
of an angel. Added to these charms of person 
is a cultivated mind, and a heart filled with love 
to God, and the kindest sympathies for others' 
woes. Invested with every perfection, she re- 
sembles the mother of our race in innocence, 
^nd is crowned with yirtues, as with a wreath of 



THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 251 

flowers fresh from the garden of Paradise. You 
hear from her lips the most exalted moral senti- 
ments, and your heart, attracted and adoring 
gives its spontaneous acknowledgment to the 
beauty of holiness, as thus displayed to view. 

But if, instead of these moral virtues, her 
heart were sensual, and her lips vulgar and 
profane ; if she were full of passions adverse to 
moral purity, and her soul harbored feelings of 
envy, jealousy, and revenge, could you feel the 
same admiration that you did before? Thus 
instructed into her character, could you help 
loathing it ? Would not all her perfect beauty 
passs for nothing, when you should discover it 
to be associated with everything of a debasing 
moral tendency ? She might sparkle amid the 
gay throng ; but, knowing her real character, 
you would turn from her in disgust. Who 
would drink the waters of a beautiful but poi- 
sonous spring? They might flow forth from 
their native fountain clear, cool, and sparkling, 
but, knowing that they contained an element 
fatal to life, you would turn from them with 
loathing. So the mind, corrupted with sin, like 
this poisoned fountain, sends forth into the world 
around it its deadly influences. That mind may 
be enclosed in a form of external beauty, but it 
defiles the most perfect work of God, kindling 



252 THE WAY OF PEACE, 

disgust where it should naturally awaken plea- 
sure. 

Think of one who stands high in public esti- 
mation, who has filled stations of honor and use- 
fulness in the Church and State. He is confided 
in, having stood, for years, in a position to which 
none but a man of undoubted integrity could 
ever be elevated. But it is suddenly discovered 
that he has, for a longtime, been unscrupulously 
dishonest, appropriating to his criminal plea- 
sures the funds intrusted to his care, and at the 
same time dexterously concealing the fraud. 
When this discovery is made, where does this 
man stand in the estimation of the virtuous ? 
What becomes of the excellence of his past life, 
his benevolent deeds, his exemplary conduct ? 
They are all forgotten, in view of that one act of 
moral turpitude. Never will he cease to be 
regarded with unutterable disgust, till the grave 
shall have blotted him out from the memory of 
all the living. 

Think of one advanced to the highest station 
of power, and who reigns with absolute suprem- 
acy over millions. He presents himself to his 
people on State occasions to receive their hom- 
age, and, in appearance, is the exemplification 
of virtue. But if you knew him to be different 
from what he seems — to be crujel, revengeful and 



THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 253 

unjust — you would form your estimate of liim 
accordingly. But were ho morally the reverse 
of this, and as really virtuous as he seems ; 
were he inspired only by the most ennobling 
sentiments, could you withhold that tribute 
which virtue naturally claims from the con- 
science of every man ? Would not the moral 
qualities displayed in him be truly beautiful, 
shedding over his person a hallowed influence, 
and elevating him, in the moral scale, to a high 
position, as worth37^ of our love ? 

Advance still further in your thoughts to the 
contemplation of God, who is illimitable in his 
perfections, and who stands before the universe 
as a glorious being, in whom is no moral defect. 
Conceive of him as endowed with every illus- 
trious perfection, and glorious in his holiness. 
It would seem as if every being in the universe 
would admire, and love him, for his excellen- 
ces. But there are some who do not. They 
see in him no beauty which they can desire. 
And there is one, who stands forth to view as the 
representative of this class, who is his open 
and avowed enemy. Between this wicked spirit 
of hell, and the pure and ever blessed God, how 
wonderful is the contrast ! The one all passion, 
concentrating in himself every thing that is dis- 
gusting and horrible ; the other, invested with 
moral beauty, his heart pure, his countenance 



254 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

unruffled with passion, his brow serene as if the 
placid moon were his coronet, while mercy, 
goodness, and love, infinite and eternal in their 
nature, shed their attractions on his person. 
He stands before the universe as a glorious be- 
ing, such as no mind can contemplate without an 
overpowering conception of the beauty of his 
holiness. 

But let us return to the spirit of evil, and fol- 
low him into the society of those kindred spirits 
over which he presides, and listen to the recital of 
the wrongs which they have been the agents of 
inflicting. Here, they have assembled to meet 
their Chief, and report to him their various feats 
of wickedness. One says, that he has been suc- 
cessful in the corruption of a youth who was 
born of pious parents, dedicated to God in bap- 
tism, the hope of a widowed mother, and to 
whose prosperity in life she had looked forward 
with fond anticipations; and that he had, by 
means of his enticements, induced him to for- 
sake the counsels of wisdom, to associate him- 
self with vicious companions, to cast off the 
restraints of virtue, and become a profligate. 
Another, that he has induced one after his own 
heart to open a place of allurement for those 
who love that which intoxicates, and that there, 
in open day, and in the hours of evening, may 
be seen gathered the young and aged, the 



THE JJKAUTV OF HOLINESS. 255 

bloated drunkard, and lie who comes to take his 
first glass ; and that there oaths and blasphemies 
^re heard without cessation, and that many, 
through these corrupting influences, are now 
treading the broad road to death. Another, that 
he has been enabled to set at variance some who 
are accustomed to assemble around the table of 
Christ, and has so fast bound them to their pre- 
judices and passions, that no power of Christian 
influence can ever reconcile them. These, and 
other instances of a like character, are variously 
narrated ; and at each, applause, accompanied 
with an infernal laugh of triumph, rings through 
the place; while a smile of fiendish joy seems to 
light up their countenances at every successive 
triumph of vice. Who, that is possessed of a 
pure and virtuous mind, could view such a scene, 
and not feel that language is incompetent to 
express the loathing and horror felt of such 
beings ? 

But let us ascend to where God dwells in his 
glory, and is surrounded by unnumbered myriads 
of beings, bearing to himself a close moral re- 
semblance. And now, the ministering spirits 
sent forth to minister to those who shall be heirs 
of salvation, return from earth, to tell of the 
wonders and triumphs of redeeming grace. 
One announces a work of moral renovation as 
having been accomplished in the soul of one of 



256 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

the children of earth ; that an old man, who had 
lived thoughtless of God till his hoary locks 
proclaimed his advances to the grave, had been 
reclaimed from his wanderings. Through the 
assiduities of Christian love, and the prayers 
and example of a devoted wife, he had been led 
to reflection ; and, with a broken heart and tear' 
ful eye, to look upon the Saviour, long denied 
and rejected. Then it was that the peace, to 
which he had been a stranger, came to his breast. 
And now he hates his sins, and loves God for 
the moral beauty of his character ; and his soul, 
by loving such a being, rises above the degra- 
dation of sin, and aspires with cheerful hope to 
the holiness and bliss of heaven. Another speaks 
of a youth who, like the prodigal son, had wan- 
dered, and had returned. In the midst of his 
thoughtlessness, an arrow, from the quiver of 
truth, had pierced his heart. He felt that he had 
dishonored and ruined his own soul, and slain its 
peace. Long, and earnestly, did he seek mercy, 
and could not find it, because he trusted in his 
own righteousness, and in the merit of his prayers 
and tears. But, in an agony of conviction, he 
looked by faith to Jesus, as crucified for his sins, 
and then salvation came to his soul. And now 
he loves God, and delights in his holiness. 

Others tell of the bold blasphemer, the Sab- 
bath-breaker, the drunkard reclaimed, of the 



THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 257 

alienated and conflicting reconciled, and of the 
lost found. And now, heaven rejoices at the 
glad tidings, and holy beings give expression to 
their emotions in rapturous songs of praise. 

And is there no beauty in holiness, and in the 
sympathy felt by holy beings in the recovery 
and happiness of sinful and ruined man? 
Where is there moral beauty to be discovered, 
if not in the person of God, the representative 
of all virtue, the chief actor of all goodness? 
Surely, there is a beauty in holiness, such as 
none but those whose hearts are enlightened to 
behold it can suitably appreciate. Oppressed 
with sin, the stricken soul turns in repentance 
unto God, and, believing in the Saviour, finds 
sweet peace. And with this peace, a love of 
holiness, such as none but those who love God 
ever experience. The soul loves the house of 
God, his earthly temple, and the associates who 
find their happiness there. No coarse profanity, 
no boisterous mirth, no dishonoring of God, are 
there displayed ; but there is awakened in the 
soul a quiet joy in the contemplation of the 
divine excellence, which renders this the most 
favored spot on earth to those who love God. It 
is not the magnificent shrine, the lofty temple, 
the fretted arch, the pealing organ, which fill 
the soul with pleasure ; but it is the presence of 
17 



258 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

God, who is there worshipped in the beauty of 
his holiness. 

Create, in fancy, a sacred temple so vast as 
to contain all the redeemed now on earth, of 
every Christian name. Let its foundations be 
entrenched, with massive granite, on some broad 
prairie of the West, and its mighty dome, lighted 
from the sky, lift up its head amid the clouds. 
Let this vast amphitheatre contain all who love 
God, and love the beauty of his holiness. Mil- 
lions of voices raise the choral song of praise, 
millions reverently bend in prayer ; and now 
they gather around the table of Christ, to cele- 
brate his dying love. All are inspired by a 
common sympathy, kindled by love to Christ ; 
all partake of the same pious emotions. 0, 
what an assemblage is this ! Peace reigns in 
every breast, and the God of peace is the pre- 
siding deity who is present there. 

There is a place, not the creation of fancy, 
which is still more glorious. It is the New Je- 
rusalem, which stands forth revealed to the eye 
of faith. The earth is not broad enough to sus- 
tain its ample foundations, nor strong enough to 
bear them ; but far away, in illimitable space, is 
its site, in a world, centered amid the numberless 
orbs of light which compose the starry firma- 
ment, itself the glorious orb around which these 



THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 259 

worlds and systems revolve ; and, so ample 
are its dimensions, as to contain all who have 
ever loved God on earth, or will ever, together 
with the holy beings of all worlds. 

Behold its massive walls, rising till their 
towering summit is hidden from our view, save 
that we can just discern a little of the brightness 
of heaven, flashing over them, as lofty clouds 
sometimes rise like mountains in the sky, capped 
with resplendent light. Built of precious stones, 
they are glorious to behold. And there are the 
gates of pearl, in magnificent proportions, open- 
ing to the city, and the streets paved with gold. 
The glories of God, which far outshine the lustre 
of the sun, illumine the place. Along the banks 
of the celestial river are shady groves, and 
flowers, and trees ladened with fruit. There is 
no night there, and they need no candle, neither 
light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth them 
light. 

" On all those wide-extended plains 

Shines one eternal day ; 
There God the Son forever reigns, 

And scatters night away. 
No chilling winds, nor poisonous breath, 

Shall reach that healthful shore ; 
Sickness and sorrow, pain and death, 

Are felt and feared no more.'' 

No moral defilement can enter that holy 
place. Not a corrupt thought is there indulged, 



260 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

nor an impure desire. No oath, nor falsehood, 
nor slander, are ever heard in that company; 
nor is the bloated drunkard seen reeling, or 
falling in his intoxication, along that pavement. 
And there are no secret works of darkness and 
shame there perpetrated ; ^* for without are 
dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and 
murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth 
or maketh a lie." 

But not so within. There, all are holy. 
Happy in God, happy in each other's society, 
the holy of all worlds and the redeemed of 
earth are there gathered. 

*' 0, what amazing joys they feel 

While to their golden harps they sing, 
And sit on every heavenly hill, 
And spread the triumphs of their King!" 

This is the beauty of holiness ; and here God 
dwells. Here are spread out before us the rich 
provision which he hath made for the happi- 
ness of the blessed. 

To this glorious abode the way of peace 
conducts the Christian. It is here, when he 
reaches the golden city, that all his trials are at 
an end ; and here, in the society of God and 
angels, he is to spend a happy eternity. Is it 
into preparation for dwelling in this blest society, 
that you are now striving to mould your heart? 
Do not faint in this endeavor, nor be discour- 



THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 261 

aged. If you tread the path of holy obedience 
to God, you will discover the beauty of holi- 
ness, and know the way of peace. And the 
termination of this way is the everlasting rest. 



a^tu f to^ntK-Sixt|. 



THE EVERLASTING REST. 



The way of peace conducts us to the ever- 
lasting rest. As the peace, springing up in a 
converted soul, is constantly liable to be inter- 
rupted and hindered by sin ; and, as life at the 
best is one of trial and conflict, so are we taught 
that beyond this vale of tears there is a home 
for the weary pilgrim. It is the blissful and 
enduring rest, of all who walk in the way of 
peace, to its happy termination. 

When the Christian dies, he enters on a new 
life, the distinguishing feature of which is, the 
entire separation of his spirit from the material 
body and material world. When the body 
shall have been cast into the grave, and dis- 
solved into its original elements, the soul will 
then exist independently of its former connec- 
tion, and come into a new and spiritual state. 
Not that we can now fully understand this mode 
of existence, or explain it. Our ideas on this 
subject are negative rather than positive. We 
know that flesh and blood cannot inherit the 

262 



THE EVERLASTING REST. 263 

kingdom of God, and that our severance from 
the material world wilLbe complete. But, when 
we ask, how God as a spirit exists, or how an- 
gels do ; or how the human soul can be separated 
from the body, and yet survive, we inquire into 
that which is infinitely beyond our comprehen- 
sion, and which God has made no attempt to 
reveal. The fact of this separate existence we 
know, as we do A^hat of electricity in the at- 
mosphere, whose effects we see in the startling 
phenomena around us, though we do not com- 
prehend, and cannot explain many curious points 
relative to this invisible agent. So spirit exists. 
The fact is developed in the operations of the 
mind, though, in our present state, the mode of 
spiritual existence is to us unfathomable. 

Man, in his present organization, is unfitted for 
that spiritual state into which death introduces 
us, and is shut out from the knowledge of that 
world where all its inhabitants are spirits. He 
bears with him a body, whose organization fits 
him to communicate with a world of sense. He 
has organs adapted to his present condition; 
and this organization he received to fit him for 
the great end for which he was designed. But 
this is not the most perfect state of being. He 
rises to perfection, as he comes more nearly to 
resemble God, who is a pure spirit. It accords 
not with the purpose of Heaven for man, when 



264 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

he departs to the spirit world, to take his mate- 
rial body with him. For though the soul be 
spiritually renovated through grace, yet the 
body, with its infirmities, temptations, and lusts, 
remains, and is constantly tending to sin. It 
would not do, in a sinless state, to have this in- 
centive to sin ever present. For the Christian, 
by bitter experience, knows how often, when he 
has found peace in believing, this peace has been 
disturbed through the sinful agency of the body. 
On this account, while the soul is connected with 
the body, the Christian must remain an inhabit- 
ant of earth; because unfitted, in his present 
organization, to become an inhabitant of the 
world of spirits. 

God, in his wisdom, therefore, has made pro- 
vision for committing the body to the grave, 
to perish there, purposing to reconstruct and fash- 
ion it into a spiritual body, that it may become 
a fit habitation for the pure and sanctified soul 
in a superior state. I can never sufficiently ad- 
mire the wisdom manifested in this arrangement, 
nor sufficiently adore God for his unspeakable 
grace. He not only provides for the purification 
of the soul by a spiritual regeneration, but for 
the spiritualization of the body through death 
and the resurrection. The body, as cast into 
the grave, is fleshly, and tends to corruption ; 
and it returns, by the inevitable law of nature, 



THE EVERLASTING REST. 265 

to its primitive earth. But the body recon- 
structed, is spiritual, no more tending to cor- 
ruption, incapable of decay, and prepared to 
become the residence of the purified soul, in the 
spirit- world. ^^It is sown in corruption, it is 
raised in incorruption ; it is sown in dishonor, 
it is raised in glory ; it is sown in weakness, it 
is raised in power ; it is sown a natural body, it 
is raised a spiritual body." 

Here again we reach a point which to us is 
incomprehensible. We know what a natural 
body is, but we know nothing of a spiritual one. 
It surpasses our present power to investigate the 
precise character of this vehicular state. Nor is 
it necessary that we should. It is sufficient to 
know that the body is thus changed, purified 
through the resurrection, and fashioned into a 
resemblance of Christ's glorified body ; that it 
is no longer the incentive, and instrument of 
sin, but is fitted to be the abode of the sanctified 
soul, that it may take a place among the angels, 
and, in unison with them, become a ministering 
spirit before the throne. 

When the Christian enters on this perfect 
state, and comes into the full enjoyment of God, 
he is endowed with all those qualities which 
leave him nothing to regret, but which impart 
to him the highest joy. In all his powers and 
capacities, he is adapted to the celestial residence 



266 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

he has gained, and is capable of mingling with 
holy beings iia the duties, employments, and 
joys of heaven. The body, which is now 
changed into a spiritual one, is such a vehicle of 
the soul as happiness in this new state of being 
requires. Ample provision is thus made for the 
enjoyment of the blest. The Christian is thus 
raised, through grace, to the blessedness for 
which he was originally designed. 

The holiness of this state distinguishes heaven 
from every other place. The Christian, when 
introduced thither, is perfectly holy. The body, 
purified from its corruptions by the grave, is re- 
constructed, and adapted to the nature of the 
soul, which is regenerated and sanctified through 
grace. Thus the Christian appears before the 
throne of God, pure and spotless. This sanctity 
is symbolized by the white robes of the ^saints, 
and is afl&rmed by the apostle in speaking of the 
New Jerusalem, when he says, tTtiat '^ there shall 
in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, 
neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or 
maketh a lie ; but they that are written in the 
Lamb's book of life ; for without are dogs, and 
sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, 
and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh 
a lie." All the representations of the sacred 
Scriptures agree in describing the future resi- 
dence of the saints as a holy place. No tempter 



THE EVERLASTING REST. 267 

will ever enter there. No sin will there ever 
invade the Christian's peace; and temptation 
and sin excluded, the heart, inclined to holiness 
and loving God supremely, will ever more con- 
tinue in this blessedness. 

Heaven is never presented to our view as a 
state of conflict, but one of holy rest. Having 
passed through his period of trial, the Christian 
will enter the world of holiness and bliss, never 
again to be subjected to the loss of his peace. 
Secured from falling by an almighty arm, there 
is no danger that he will ever apostatize. He 
will love and serve God in fall accordance with 
his capacities ; and he will evermore be surround- 
ed by beings of the same character with himself. 
There will be no sinful propensities in his soul 
struggling for the mastery ; no consciousness of 
transgression ; no painful regret for past errors ; 
nothing of this nature to interrupt and destroy 
his peace. All the woes incidont to our fallen, 
sinful nature will be excluded from the heaven- 
ly rest. The fear of poverty will not disquiet 
the mind, nor that of want oppress ; the jealous- 
ies and envies of earth will there be unknown ; 
nor can we think of any evil to which we are 
here subject, from which the Christian will not 
there be free ; and, with his holiness, his bliss 
will then be perfect. 

The employments of heaven will be such as 



268 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

to increase and perfect his joy. We reason, 
from the nature of the mind, and its capacity 
for the acquisition of knowledge, that in heaven 
it will still be active ; that it will make the 
study of the works of God a chief employment, 
and be engaged, with the angels, in all that con- 
duces to the divine glory, and its own happiness. 
Here, the body occupies a large proportion of 
care. But in the future state, all its wants will 
be provided for, so that our whole time may be 
actively devoted to serving God, in such rational 
and pleasurable pursuits, as may conduce to his 
glory and our good. 

The ideas common on this subject are 
strangely wrong, contradicting everything that 
we know of the nature of celestial felicity and 
glory. It is not in idleness that the saints are 
to spend eternity. There must, and will be 
something for them to do, which will call into 
activity their holy and benevolent affections, or 
else heaven would soon become a dull place to 
them. Nor can we doubt that, in this respect, 
there is ample provision made. Heavenly hap- 
piness is represented by symbols, drawn from 
material objects of beauty and grandeur. We 
are not to suppose that heaven presents to view 
a beautiful garden filled with choice fruit, or a 
crystal stream, or a city paved with gold ; nor 
that there are in heaven harps of gold, and 



THE EVERLASTING REST. 269 

crowns, and raiment pure and white ; nor that 
our Father has a house there, and tables spread 
for the hungry ; for these are only emblems, and 
are used to convey the idea of happiness to 
minds otherwise incapable of its conception. 
We should not therefore materialize heaven, 
but use these scriptural metaphors to heighten 
our ideas of its bliss. 

There will be both pleasant and useful occupa- 
tion in which the saints will be engaged. It is 
needless, however, to speculate, where the facts 
have not been revealed. And yet it is pleasant 
to think that there are innumerable ways of oc- 
cupying ourselves in heaven, so that the time 
will not hang heavy on our hands. There is 
much yet to be learned of God, and of his works. 
Here, we gain only the rudiments of knowledge. 
Even Newton, at the close of life, could say, 
that he appeared to himself to have been like a 
little boy upon the sea-shore, picking up a 
smoother pebble, and a prettier shell than ordi- 
nary, while the vast ocean of truth lay all un- 
explored before him. 

When we reflect that the whole of the bound- 
less creation will in heaven be spread out to our 
view, that suns and systems of worlds will rise 
upon the astonished vision, and that new works 
of creation, new forms of matter and fresh crea- 
tions of mind, may occupy us with a view of 



270 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

Jehovah's wisdom forever, we may feel assured 
that, to follow in the path which he thus opens 
before us, will give us enough to do, and even 
inspire us with fresh motives to adoration and 
praise. 

That the body is to be reconstructed at the 
resurrection, to become the spiritual habitation 
of the soul, involves the thoughts of activity, of 
commingling with others in intercourse, and of 
holy employment suited to the perfect nature 
then attained. Wings are ascribed to angels, to 
indicate the power of swift motion ; and, from 
all that we are told of heaven, and of the beings 
who dwell there, we should gather the idea that 
it is a place of great activity. Canaan is used 
as an emblem of the heavenly rest; and the 
Israelites looked forward to it with anticipations 
of there finding a peaceful home. But it was 
not into a state of idleness that they came, when 
they had crossed the Jordan ; for they found 
that they had every thing to do, to make it such 
a home as they desired. They had to plant 
their vineyards, sow their fields, and perform all 
the necessary labor of the husbandman. So 
heaven, although figuratively described as a rest, 
is unquestionably a busy place. There will be 
employments there suited to the state of the re- 
deemed ; and these employments will conduce 
to their eternal happiness. 



THE EVEKLASTING REST. 271 

Social friendship will there be enjoyed and 
perpetuated. Much of the pleasure of life is 
that derived from social intercourse. But, in 
heaven, this communion will be purely spiritual. 
As kindred minds naturally take pleasure in 
each other's society, so will it be in the ever- 
lasting rest. That the saints in heaven will 
there recognize their friends, does not admit of 
a doubt. There, we shall see as we are seen, 
and know as we are known. It greatly en- 
hances the pleasure of anticipation to reflect, 
that the friendships, begun on earth, may be 
transferred to heaven, and there perpetuated. 
No thought suggested in view of friends who 
sleep in Jesus, is more consoling. We know 
that they will be happy, and that, abiding faith- 
ful, we shall join them in the kingdom of our 
Father. There is nothing which so effectually 
removes the sting of death, or imparts such con- 
solation to the bereaved, as the thought that 
those we knew and loved on earth, and who 
have gone before us, may be deputed, by our 
Saviour, as ministering spirits, to convoy us 
home; so that, on dying, our eyes may open, 
in eternity, on the friends who surround our 
dying bed, waiting to receive, and to welcome 
■us to glory. As we advance in life, the ties 
which bind us to earth grow weaker every day. 



272 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

while those whicli attract us to heaven, become 
stronger and stronger. 

Does the parent rejoice in the return of a 
wandering son ? How much higher, and hoher, 
the joy of that parent in heaven, to meet his 
beloved child there, well knowing that every 
danger is now past, and that everlasting blessed- 
ness is, through sovereign grace, secured ? The 
spirits of our friends in heaven are as the angels 
of God, enjoying the same interest in each other, 
and ever susceptible to the same holy friend- 
ships. When it is reflected how greatly the 
happiness of life depends on such pleasant asso- 
ciations, can we doubt that the pleasures de- 
rived from this source are, in heaven, infinitely 
enhanced ? Not only those we knew and loved 
on earth, but holy persons of past ages, will 
share our love. Beings of a higher grade will 
constitute part of the celestial society. The 
saints will mingle with the angels, partake of 
their knowledge, listen to their wisdom, and 
rejoice in their love. 

But above all, the saints will there hold con- 
verse with God, and enjoy the blessedness re- 
sulting from communion, and intercourse with 
the Eedeemer. They will feel a conscious joy 
in the thought, that the great and good Father, 
who sits upon the throne of the universe, is 
their friend. 



THE EVERLASTING REST. 273 

What can equal such society, or confer such 
happiness? Friendships so exalted and glo- 
rious, formed on such a basis, and cemented 
by such relationships, will furnish every thing 
needed to make us happy. Such friendships 
will never create weariness nor disgust, and will 
never die; but they will prove a source of 
transcendent felicity and joy unspeakable in the 
souls of the redeemed. 

The happiness thus created for the blest will 
never terminate. The saints will have found 
the everlasting rest. Earth presents to view no 
such blessedness. In comparison with this, all 
its pleasures are trivial ; its joys are transitory ; 
they are here to-day, and are to-morrow gone. 
Its friendships are often withered in an hour. 
All those pleasures that spring from earth bear 
the stamp of their earthly origin. But the rest 
of the saints is a state of blissful employment, 
and social intercourse and friendship, pure^ 
spiritual, and eternal. 

And this rest is as glorious as it is endur- 
ing. Heaven is a bright, a glorious place. It 
is pictured forth to view by the emblem of the 
golden city, adorned with precious stones, and 
illumined by God himself, whose glories are 
resplendent, and whose brightness casts the orbs 
of light into the shade. While the world of the 
lost is described as darkness, Heaven is set forth 
18 



274 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

to view in all its splendors, as a place worthy to 
be the residence of the King of kings and Lord 
of lords. 

Language fails to express the thoughts which 
cluster around that happy place, or to convey 
any suitable idea of that holy and blest abode. 
Nor can any mind but one renewed, and which 
knows by experience the blessedness of a life of 
peace, form a proper conception of the beauty 
and holiness of the everlasting rest. 

To this rest, the way of peace conducts all 
who love God. This is heaven ; its portals are 
just beyond the river of Death. He who walks 
in the way of peace till he reaches that river, 
will pass over it unharmed. He has the sure 
promise of God, ^^ When thou passest through 
the waters, I will be with thee ; and through 
the rivers, they shall not overflow thee." And 
of all who have pursued this way, none have ever 
found God unfaithful to his promise. For it is 
written, for the encouragement of all that love 
him, that ^Hhough the mountains depart and 
the hills be removed, yet my kindness shall not 
depart from thee, nor the covenant of my peace 
be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on 
thee." 



agtet %i!itni%-^t)at\xi\< 



THE FAREWELL. 



And now, Christian reader, whosoever thou 
art, into whose hands these pages may fall, con- 
sider well the evidences of thy peace with God. 
I have explored the heart to discover the foun- 
tain of true piety, and to set forth, in view of 
its characteristic emotions, such evidences of 
conversion as may show the false hopes of those 
who are deceived, and impart peace to all who 
truly love God. Having traversed with thee 
the way of peace, descended into its vales, drank 
of its refreshing springs, climbed its hills, and 
gazed on its delightful prospects, gaining even 
a distant view of the glorious and everlasting 
rcfet, I am now called to take my leave of thee. 
If thou dost find as much pleasure in reading as 
I have found in meditating and writing upon 
these sacred themes, happy wilt thou be. It is 
for thee that I have labored ; and yet, in water- 
ing others, my own soul has been refreshed. In 
conducting thee along the path of peace, some- 
thing of the beauty of the flowers blooming by 

275 



276 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

the way hath been left with me, and much of 
their fragrance. Could I impart to thee and 
not myself receive ? Verily I have received, 
and am made more blessed by having sought 
thy blessedness. 

Of the value of the instructions here given, 
thou must be the judge. Thou hast the law 
and the testimony abiding with thee. If what 
I have written accord not therewith, reject it. 
But if these be the words of life according to 
the testimonies of the living God, far be it from 
thee to cast them aside. If true religion, ac- 
cording to the Gospel, be not here set forth, then 
may God instruct the ignorant, and teach where 
it can be found. But if this be true religion, 
see thou to it and embrace it, lest thou shalt 
never find the way of peace. 

If thou dost feel the love of God shed abroad 
in thy heart, go on thy way joyful in the hope 
which the consciousness of peace awakens. Do 
not experiment with thyself, to see how far thou 
canst go on one side and yet keep the way of 
peace. Go bravely on in the middle of the 
road, turning on neither side. For what can 
repay thee for the loss of thy happiness, if thou 
dost experiment it away ? What can atone for 
thy folly, if thou dost sport with the pearl of great 
price, which it would cost thee heaven not to 
possess, when thou shalt stand at the celestial 



THE FAREWELL. 277 

gate and knock for admittance there. Never 
turn aside from the way of peace, but press on- 
ward till thou dost behold and enter into the 
rest to which it doth joyfully conduct thee. 

The way of peace ! Beautiful, blessed way ! 
How pleasantly do my thoughts turn to thee ! 
0, way leading to the New Jerusalem, the City 
of God ; the way that the patriarchs, the proph- 
ets, and the saints of old have trodden ! Way 
that Jesus went ; and where all must go who 
shall have '^ right to the tree of life, and shall 
enter in through the gates into the city." I 
give thee joy. Christian traveller, if thou art 
pressing on in this way. God speed thee ! Be 
thou faithful unto the end ! Never let go ' thy 
hold on the hand of Jesus, who leads thee, and 
will conduct thee safely. Keep company with 
this heavenly friend, and he shall guide thee to 
the mount of God, and the city which is builded 
there, which is glorious to behold. Then may- 
est thou go on thy way singing, 

" Jerusalem, my happy home, 

Name ever dear to me ; 
When shall my labors have an end, 
In joy, and peace, and thee?" 

I seem to see thee. Traveller, as thou art 
pressing onward. I seem to feel a sympathetic 
joy with thine, and to catch a portion of thy 



278 THE WAY OF PEACE. 

hope and courage, as I see thee manfully breast- 
ing the dangers and the trials of the Christian 
pilgrimage. 

But yet I faint, and know not but that we 
must here part company ; thou, to act the part 
of one who lives in abiding peace, and to rise 
and shine, as thou dost approach nearer unto 
glory, and dost reflect more of its brightness ; 
and I, to stumble along as I have hitherto been 
wont to do, under alternate cloud and sun. 
Whether I shall ever be permitted to enter the 
blest portals, and to behold thy face in the pal- 
ace of the King, still, I can rejoice to see thee 
enter there. I desire that thou mayest experi- 
ence the blessedness of a life of peace, and pass, 
with the multitude of the redeemed, through 
the beauty of holiness, into the everlasting rest. 
Do not tarry for me. Go on thy way. Travel- 
ler, rejoicing in the love of God ; and when thou 
dost gain a nearness to him in prayer, wilt thou 
not remember me to our Father, and ask that 
his grace may not forsake me, and that mercy's 
arms may encompass me unto the end ? 

And now, fare thee well ! If thou art faithful, 
the God whom thou dost serve will deliver thee 
from the lions and rescue thee from the flames. 
Confide in him, and he will be thy refuge. 
Make him thy trust, and he will keep thee in 



THE FAREWELL. 279 

perfect peace. Be faithful unto death; *^ aad 
when the chief Shepherd shall appear, thoa 
shalt receive the Crown of Glory that fadeth not 
away." 



M. W. DODD, 

PUBLISHER AND BOOKSELLER, 

WOULD CALL ATTENTION TO THE FOLLOWING NOTICES OF WORKS 
BY THE AUTHOR OF THIS VOLUME. 



ON THE COMMON MAXIMS OF INFIDELITY. 

By Henry A. Rowlaot). 12mo. Pp. 306. 



The object of this work is to expose the false maxims 
of an infidel character which find their way into society, 
and are on the lips of many who do not suspect them to 
be infidelity in disguise. Such as, " Men are not respon- 
sible for their belief;" "The hght of nature a sufficient 
guide in matters of religion;" "If we act according to our 
conscience, we cannot err;" "If the life be right, no mat- 
ter what one thinks about religion ;" " Religion the crea- 
ture of education;" "There are so many religions and re- 
ligious opinions in the world, that we cannot decide on 
their respective claims;" " Eeligion unworthy of credit, 
because of its dependence on human testimony ;" " If 
God desire the happiness of man, and cannot effect it, 
where is his power ? if he can, and will not, where is his 
goodness ?" " Religion a gross delusion." Also, " Con- 
cerning the origin of infidelity ;" " The tendencies of it;" 
''Its influence on social and domestic happiness;" "On 
the future welfare of men ;" and " Concerning the truth." 

From Dr. Woods, late Professor of Theology, Andover Theological 
Seminary. 

" The work of the Rev. Henry A. Rowland, ^ On the 
Common Maxims of Infidehty,* is in my opinion very 
seasonable, and adapted to be oxfensively useful. The 

281 



282 NOTICES. 

plan of the work differs from all others within my know- 
ledge. The maxims of infidelity are arranged in a very 
just order, and the sophistry, falsehood, and absurdity in- 
volved in them are exposed with fairness, skill, strength of 
argument, and with many moving appeals to the con- 
science and the heart. Most of the infidel maxims here 
noticed have gained such a lodgment in the minds of 
many who are not decidedly infidel, as to prevent the 
salutary influence of divine truth. I wish that all who 
are in the way of hearing infidel discourse or reading 
infidel books would give this book an attentive and can- 
did perusal. There is no work, so far as I know, which 
is written on a similar plan, or which does so briefly and 
effectually undermine the foundation and demolish the 
superstructure of modern infidelity. The author deserves 
the gratitude of the public for the labor which he has be- 
stowed on so difiicult a subject, and for writing a book 
containing in three hundred pages so much pertinent 
thought, and so much conclusive argument, which is all 
the better for being so condensed."" 

From the Commercial Advertiser, New York. 

" We thank the author of this volume, in behalf of all 
who beheve in the truth of Christianity, for his mode of 
treating of infidel objections. Again and again have we 
desired to see such a volume as this, wherein every form 
in which intelligent skeptics put their objections to the 
verities of the Christian religion are honestly set forth and 
cordially met. We especially commend to the attention 
of young men whom we know, the third and fourth chap- 
ters of the volume, and would advise parents, placed in 
certain painful, but by no means unusual circumstances, 
to induce their children to read carefully and candidly the 
whole volume. This point gained, we dare answer for 
a conviction of the entire untenability of infidel senti- 
ments." 

From the Independent, New York. 

^^ This volume is written with force and point by its 
popular author, to show the absurdness of the ordinary 
and plausible maxims of the skeptic, and their invalidity 



NOTICES. 283 

as applied to Christianity. It speaks with impulse and 
enterprise, as out of a vigilant and alert mind, and will be 
a useful book, especially to the young who read and pon- 
der it." 

From ihe New York Evangelist. 

^' We exceedingly like the direct and off-hand style of 
our author. His thoughts are clearly expressed, while 
the brevity and point with which the discussion is con- 
ducted, add greatly to its conclusiveness and force. It is 
eminently adapted for popular perusal. We think a very 
valuable and much needed service has been done to the 
cause of truth, and done in the best manner." 

From the Baptist Recorder, New York. 

" We are glad to see just such a book as this — a book to 
meet, not philosophical disquisitions which are the food of 
the infidelity of the few, but those maxims which float 
among the people, and which, though refuted a thousand 
times, continue to spread their poison. The examination 
which we have been able to give this book induces us to 
believe it just such a one as is adapted to general circula- 
tion, and we hail its appearance with pleasure. We think 
it especially a book which ministers should have in their 
possession, as indicating a current which, seen or unseen, 
runs more or less through every congregation, even poi- 
soning some minds which would be shocked at being re- 
garded as infidel." 

From the Presbyterian, Philadelphia. 

" In this unpretending volume the every-day maxims of 
the infidel school are discussed in a striking and familiar 
way, so as to render the answers available by the reader, 
as he meets the enemy in the walks of life. It is well cal- 
culated to be useful, being adapted to the wants of the age, 
and it would be well if all Christians would arm themselves 
by reading such books as this, that they may be able to 
meet the objections which are often flippantly urged against 
the religion they profess." 



284 NOTICES. 

From the Christian Herald, Cincinnati. 

'^ This is well executed. It will serve as a protection to 
many youthful and inquiring minds, who may be tempted, 
and it is calculated to reclaim those who have been brought 
under the deadly influence of false views of truth. We 
wish it could have a very wide circulation, for we are con- 
fident it is adapted to be very useful to many minds." 

From the Biblical Repertory, Princeton. 

"In our opinion, the author has chosen a branch of 
apologetical Theology which has been much neglected, and 
treated it in a judicious manner. We take this occasion 
to express our belief that if ever there was a time when 
Christians ought to be well acquainted with their own de- 
fences, it is the present. There is every appearance of a 
new assault, not as formerly from avowed infidels, but from 
professed Christians." 

From the New Englander. 

" In this work, the author has undertaken to strip infidel- 
ity of her numerous disguises. Our author's endeavor is 
manful, and triumphant. He shows clearly that while 
specious and plausible in appearance, these maxims are 
really false and pernicious. In the crucible of his analysis, 
they utterly disappear, and his book is worthy of being 
bought and read, for its lucid and logical refutation of them. 
He writes in a fluent and graceful style, always inter- 
esting, and sometimes truly elegant." 



THE PATH OF LIFE. 
By Henry A. Rowland. 18mo. Pp. 194. 



From Dr. Woods, late Professor of Theology, Andover Theological 
Seminary. 

"I have had the pleasure of perusing the little book, 
lately issued from your press, called the Path of Life, writ- 
ten by the Rev. Henry A. Rowland. The spirit of tmth 
and love pervades every chapter. The style is perspicuous 



NOTICES. 285 

and lively, and frequently forcible. We are not to look 
for absolute exemption from error in any work of unin- 
spired men. But, in my judgment, there are but few books 
on the grand subjects of our holy religion, which clearly 
set forth, in so small a space, such an amount of Gospel 
truth, and truth so well fortified against prevalent errors." 

From Rev. Dr. Spencer, D.D., Brooklyn, N. Y., Author of Pastoral Sketches. 

" I have just read the Path of Life. I cannot resist the 
impulse I feel to thank you for it. Of its kind, it is beyond 
all question unequalled. It is worth forty such books as 
James's Anxious Inquirer. Its simplicity, plainness, point, 
tact and truth are exactly appropriate to the nature of its 
subject, and consequently its taste is faultless:. It has no 
equal in the language. The brevity of it, too, ought to be 
named as one of its very first excellences. I have not a 
doubt of its very extensive sale and very extensive utihty. 
It will live as long as the English language lives. Such is 
my opinion." 

From Rev. Wm. Adams, D.D. 

" I scarcely know where to find in so small a compass 
so much of weighty truth. Simple in style, practical in 
its directions, evangelical in spirit, guarded in expression, 
sound in sentiment, it deserves, as I have no doubt it will 
receive, an extensive circulation. Wishing you all success 
in your part of the undertaking, and the author the rich 
reward of seeing the happy results of his labors." 

The Christian Intelligencer. 

" We have read this little book with singular satisfaction. 
It kindled in our breasts the same feelings as the works of 
our old divines, but which our modern works, as a general 
thing, do not kindle. There is a mellowness and an earn- 
estness about it. We have scarcely met with such a book 
since the Pilgrim's Progress. There is a mine of wealth 
in it much richer than the mines of Califorilia." 

New York Observer. 

^'This little manual seems to us very happily adapted to 
aid in the great work of man's salvation. Its distinguish- 



286 NOTICES. 

ing characteristic, and we may say its higher recommen- 
dation, is the perfect simpHcity of its teachings, and its 
adaptedness to guide the most illiterate and ignorant in- 
quirer into the way of peace." 

Christian Observer, Philadelphia. 

'' It is original, simple in its method, direct, earnest, and 
practical. It embraces the matured thoughts of an ap- 
proved and experienced pastor, illustrating the questions 
on which he has often had occasion to speak in the inquir^^ 
room, and private conference with awakened sinners, un- 
folding to him the way of salvation, which many are s1o\a> 
to learn." 

New York Evangelist. 

'^ It is a clear, practical, and concise direction to inquir- 
ing sinners to the cross. Written with great simplicity 
and fervor, it opens the impressive truths clustering around 
the cross with a perspicuity, well adapted to satisfy the 
yearnings of a mind convicted of sin and thoroughly in 
earnest in its inquiries what to do to be saved. It is a 
little book so affectionate in spirit and so clear in state- 
■ ment that it might be committed to the hands of the in- 
quirer with great confidence, and could not fail in doing 
him good." 

Albany Spectator. 

'^ This is a volume full of evangeHcal truth, holy fervor 
and melting tenderness. It is so simple in its presentation 
of Gospel truth that a child may understand it, yet equal 
in dignity and sublimity to the great theme. To Christian 
parents who would have their children grow up walking 
in the path of life, it is invaluable. All, by reading it, may 
become wiser and better." 

Religious Recorder, 

*' As a practical book for the serious-minded and inquir- 
ing, this volume is of great value. It is just such a book 
as pastors have frequent occasion to put into the hands of 
those whom they seek to persuade and guide aright. With 
less diffuseness than Alleine, Baxter and Doddridge, it is 



NOTICES. 287 

scarcely less earnest and fervent in representing truth, 
duty, and destiny, and has the advantage of being written 
in the present age and country. The mstructions of this 
book are orthodox, and its spirit evangelical." 

Christian Secretary 

"It is just such a work as a judicious Christian parent 
would like to put into the hands of one who might be 
anxiously inquiring, ' What must I do to be saved ?' " 

Farmer and Mechanic. 

" We have examined with considerable attention this 
beautiful little volume, and most cordially recommend it as 
one of much interest. It is a work which every inquirer 
after truth should read." 

Watchman and Observer, Richmond, Va. 

" It aims at completeness, clearness, and simpHcity, and 
we think has eminently succeeded in attaining them. It 
is admirably adapted for the hands of either a careless or 
an anxious soul." 



LIGHT IN A DARK ALLEY. 

By Henry A. Rowland. 18mo. Pp. 178. 



From the Presbyterian, Philadelphia. 



^ " The author's design, in this neat httle volume, is to 
display man's natural ignorance of his own character, his 
responsibilities, his relation to God and eternity ; and of 
the Gospel as a scheme of mercy. This he does satis- 
factorily, while he endeavors to lead the sinner to the 
cross as the only means of safety. Mr. Rowland is a 
writer of no ordinary vigor." 

From the Independent, New York. 

" This is a truly good little book, the work of an expe- 
rienced and intelligent pastor ; and far beyond most books 
of its class, it is suited to do good. The somewhat quaint 



288 NOTICES. 

title does not explain the nature and object of the work. 
Mr. Rowland has not ventured, as some might suppose, 
into the field of fiction : — ' Light in a Dark Alley' is not a 
story-book. The work discusses, in a popular way, and 
chiefly in the form- of a dialogue, 'the false principles 
which lead many of our fellow-men to live in the neglect 
of the Grospel,' and it undertakes to ' explore the Dark 
Alley where they dwell.' '* 

From the New York Observer. 

*' The ' Path of Life' by this author has been highly and 
widely commended, and the present volume is designed 
to remove from anxious minds those doubts and fears 
into which they are sometimes led, to expose religious 
errors, and guide the reader into the light of the Gospel. 
The writer has handled this difficult subject with discrimi- 
nation and true feehng, making a volume which is greatly 
needed, and which we hope will be useful." 

From the Commercial Advertiser, New York. 

" This little manual is designed to disperse the clouds 
of darkness which rest upon the unconverted mind, and 
refute the false reasonings of those who reject the Grospel. 
It is written in a plain, practical manner, and may do 
much good." 



All the above works may be had of M. W. DODD, New 
York, Brick Church Chapel, opposite the City Hall, and 
of the booksellers generally. 



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